Judge rejects effort to return Confederate statue to Chatham County courthouse grounds

PITTSBORO, N.C. (WTVD) -- A judge has rejected an effort to have a Confederate statue returned to the grounds of the historic Chatham County courthouse.

The Winnie Davis Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy filed a lawsuit against the Chatham County Board of Commissioners after the county removed the statue on Nov. 19.

Guilford County Superior Court Judge Susan Bray dismissed the lawsuit today.

The statue stood on the courthouse since 1907, but county commissioners voted in August to remove the monument after months of debate.

A three-month legal battle by the United Daughters of the Confederacy ended in November when a judge denied a motion for a preliminary injunction.

The statue is being stored in a warehouse until the UDC finds a permanent location.