Federal judge rules protesters allowed near Confederate monument in Alamance County

Judge Catherine Eagles ruled that Alamance County's ban on allowing protestors on the courthouse grounds, steps, and sidewalks likely violates protesters' First Amendment rights.

Posted 3:29 a.m. Aug 15, 2020 — Updated 11:08 a.m. Aug 15, 2020

Sydney Franklin

, WRAL multiplatform producer

GRAHAM, N.C. — A federal judge ruled Friday that the Alamance County sheriff and local officials cannot prohibit protesters near the Confederate monument on the historic courthouse grounds. The Sheriff's office had put a ban on protesters on courthouse grounds, steps and sidewalks.

U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles ruled that Alamance County’s ban on protesters on the courthouse grounds violates protesters’ First Amendment rights.

Alamance County's historic Courthouse is a hotbed of protests due to a tall Confederate solider monument that stands at its entrance.

The original lawsuit was filed by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights under Law, the ACLU of North Carolina, and Lockamy Law Firm on behalf of the Alamance NAACP and eight individuals in early July.

The monument has been the target of protests for several years, and calls to bring down it down have become louder since the May 25 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked national demonstrations.