US: Statue of pro-slavery Supreme Court justice removed

The 19th Century court ruling held that “a negro, whose ancestors were imported into this country, and sold as slaves” was not an American citizen and had no standing to sue in federal court.

The case had been brought by Dred Scott, who was born a slave but sought to sue for his freedom because he had lived for four years in Illinois and the Wisconsin Territory, where slavery was illegal.

The court ruled 7–2 against Mr Scott.

The 145-year-old statue was removed from Maryland State House on the initiative of Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, one of Trump’s Republican Party colleagues, the Washington Post reports.

He said: “We can’t wipe out all of our history, nor should we try to. But when it reaches the point where some of these symbols, whether they have historical significance or not, when they become a focal point for racism and violence, then it’s time to do something about it.”

The decision to remove the statue follows protests by white supremacists and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Virginia, in defence of a statue of General Robert E. Lee. The protests reached international prominence when a car rammed into counter-protesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injuring 19 others.