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Hogan Wants Removal of Justice Roger Taney Statue

Maryland State Capitol
creative commons
Maryland State Capitol

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is asking for the removal of a statue of the Supreme Court justice who wrote a decision upholding slavery that sits on the front law of the state house.

Hogan said in a statement on Tuesday that he believes removing the Roger B. Taney (TAW-nee) statue from the State House grounds is the right thing to do.

The Republican governor's statement comes a day after Speaker of the House Michael E. Busch, a Democrat, said the Confederate monument doesn't belong at the state house in Annapolis.

Hogan says he will ask the State House Trust to "immediately" remove the statue.

Taney, a Maryland native, wrote the 1857 Dred Scott decision that upheld slavery and denied citizenship to black people.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.