Change of Venue Sought for Confederate Monument Hearing

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — The plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the City of Charlottesville are requesting a change of venue for the proceedings, citing potential jury bias in the case of what they say was the illegal removal of Confederate monuments.

The Roanoke Times reports the lawsuit was filed by the Monument Fund in March 2017. The plaintiffs say the Charlottesville City Council violated a state code that bans the removal of war memorials when it voted in 2016 to take down statues of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.

The Roanoke Times reports that in a recent filing, the plaintiff's attorneys argued the defendants' positions as councilors would make it difficult to find an unbiased jury.

The paper says the defendants have not responded. The trial is set for September.