Court rejects bid to save Louisiana Confederate monument

Photo: Shreveport Times

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A federal appeals court says a judge was right when he cleared the way to remove a Confederate monument at a north Louisiana courthouse.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday again turned back claims from the United Daughters of the Confederacy's Shreveport chapter.

The group says it has a "private property interest" in the land where the statue stands in front of the Caddo Parish Courthouse. It also claims parish officials violated its rights to free speech and equal protection.

A federal judge in Monroe threw out the suit last year.

A three-judge panel upheld Judge Robert James's opinion, calling it "exhaustive and well-reasoned." On Monday, the judges declined to reconsider.

The chapter's attorney did not immediately respond to phoned and emailed requests for comment.