US state’s supreme court backs law on Confederate monuments

Days after the Confederate flag was removed in 2015, South Carolina legislative leaders vowed they would not approve the removal of any other statues or renaming of buildings under the Heritage Act and have kept their word

Cameron Maynard stands at attention by the monument to Confederate soldiers at the South Carolina Statehouse in Columbia, South Carolina. Picture: Jeffrey Collins/AP

The South Carolina supreme court ruled that a state law preventing anyone from moving a Confederate monument or changing the historical name of a street or building without the Legislature’s permission is legal.

But in the same ruling, the justices struck down a requirement that two-thirds of the General Assembly must approve a move or name change.