AUSTIN -- A Travis County judge ruled the University of Texas can move statues of Jefferson Davis and Woodrow Wilson because the plaintiffs had no standing to bring a case.
Judge Karin Crump denied the request from the Sons of Confederate veterans for a temporary injunction to halt the move.
The case was brought after a months-long campus debate. Students started a petition in June to remove the Davis status, claiming that his racist views do not represents the university's values.
UT President Greg Fenves ordered a special commission to study the issue and present possible solutions. On Aug. 10, it presented its recommendations and a few days later, Fenves announced the 8-foot statue would be moved to the Briscoe Center for American History.
The Sons of Confederate Veterans filed a temporary restraining order, and UT agreed not to move the statues until a hearing was held.
In court, the group's attorney argued UT does not have the authority to move them because they are protected by a state code that regulates memorials of war heroes who are citizens of Texas and lays out a special procedure to move those protected memorials.
UT's attorneys argued Davis and Wilson don't meet the criteria because they weren't Texans.
The plaintiffs also argued moving the statues would violate the will of George Littlefield, who donated $200,000 to the university to build the statues.
UT and Judge Crump pointed out the will only requests the statues be put in a place of prominence and leaves the university to decide where that place of prominence is.
"We're very fortunate to have one of the premier educational historical centers in the world, and so there's no better place for the statue than the Briscoe Center," said UT Vice President Dr. Gregory Vincent.
Another concern was keeping the statues intact during the move. The attorney for the Sons of Confederate Veterans called art experts to the stand who said the statues are in poor condition and risk being damaged if moved.
The university's attorneys called the owner of the company hired to move the statues. He testified that he has moved hundreds of bronze statues, some on campus and as old as the Davis and Wilson statues, and has never damaged any of them.
Senator Rodney Ellis (D-Houston) released a statement following the ruling that read: "I'm pleased that, once again, UT can begin the process of removing the Jefferson Davis statue from the campus' Main Mall. We shouldn't glorify people whose main claim to historical relevance stems from their defense of human slavery."
The University has not said when it will move the statues, only that it will be in the near future. The Sons of Confederate Veterans are expected to appeal Judge Crump's decision.
