CROWNSVILLE, Md. (AP) - A state panel is reviewing a proposal to remove from the grounds of Frederick City Hall a statue of the Supreme Court chief justice who wrote the 1857 Dred Scott decision affirming slavery.
It's on the agenda for Tuesday's meeting of the Maryland Historical Trust's Easement Committee in Crownsville. The committee makes recommendations to the trust's director. Its meetings are closed to the public.
The Frederick Board of Alderman voted unanimously in October in favor of removing the bust of Roger Brooke Taney (TAW'-nee). The plan must be reviewed by the trust and the local Historic Preservation Commission.
The statue dates to 1931. Some consider it offensive while others say it's an indelible part of the city's history.
Taney practiced law in Frederick before becoming the nation's fifth chief justice.
