A controversial Confederate monument near the University of Louisville will remain in place until at least May 25 after a judge issued a temporary restraining order preventing its removal.
On Tuesday, a Jefferson County Circuit Court judge agreed to delay a hearing on the temporary injunction until May 25,
the Courier-Journal reported.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and University of Louisville President James Ramsey announced last week that the monument would be removed for both practical and civic reasons: It impedes traffic and offends citizens.
On Monday, GOP congressional hopeful Everett Corley; the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Kentucky Division; and political activist Ed Springston filed a temporary restraining order to defend the 70-foot-tall monument, which has been in place for 121 years.
Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell asked the judge for more time to respond to the lawsuit.
"We want to present a very strong case" said Matthew Golden, head of the civil division of the Jefferson County Attorney's Office. Golden plans on including "evidence from preservationists, from city officials, from people in the community about why the movement of this statue to another location is in the best interests of everyone."
The monument has been a source of tension for years and city officials had planned to move it to a storage facility until a new location could be decided,
Fox News reported.
Corley compared the removal of the statue to book burning and said it would be an insult to soldiers.
The Washington Post noted that the controversy is drawing national attention as the Kentucky Derby is set to begin on Saturday, drawing attention to a history of racial disparity in the state and at the derby. Kentucky, the birthplace of President Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, never succeeded from the United States.
Twitter users shared mixed reactions to the controversy.
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