Lawsuit ends over Confederate monument outside North Carolina courthouse

GRAHAM, N.C. (AP) — A lawsuit challenging a central North Carolina county’s decision to keep in place its government-owned Confederate monument is over after civil rights groups and individuals who sued decided against asking the state Supreme Court to review lower court rulings.

The state Court of Appeals upheld in March a trial court’s decision to side with Alamance County and its commissioners over the 30-foot (9.1-meter) tall monument outside the historic Alamance County Courthouse. The state NAACP, the Alamance NAACP chapter, and other groups and individuals had sued in 2021 after the commissioners rejected calls to take it down.

The deadline to request a review by the state Supreme Court has passed, according to appellate rules. Following the March decision, the plaintiffs “recognized the low probability of this case proceeding to a full trial,” Marissa Wenzel, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said Thursday while confirming no appeal would occur.