Roybal-Allard votes to remove Confederate statues from U.S. Capitol

DOWNEY — Downey Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard voted yesterday for legislation that, if passed into law, would order the removal of all busts and statues of individuals who served the Confederacy and three specific statues of white supremacists from the U.S. Capitol.

The bill would also order the replacement of a bust of controversial former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Roger Taney with a bust of Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court Justice. 

Roybal-Allard said she joined colleagues in voting for H.R. 3005 to help ensure that the halls of Congress are reflective of the American values of equality and justice for all.

“The United States Capitol, our temple of democracy, should not house monuments honoring those who supported and espoused bigotry and hatred,” said Roybal-Allard. “The halls of the Capitol must reflect our highest ideals as a nation, including freedom, justice, and equality. Removing monuments to white supremacists and leaders of the Confederacy and replacing the bust of Chief Justice Roger Taney with one of civil rights hero Justice Thurgood Marshall would be an important step to right the wrongs of our history.”

If passed into law, the bill would also order the removal from the Capitol of statues of white supremacists Charles Brantley Aycock, John Caldwell Calhoun and James Paul Clarke.

Currently, the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the Capitol houses a bust of Chief Justice Roger Taney, who authored the infamous majority decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford, which held that Black Americans could not be United States citizens or be awarded the same constitutional rights as citizens. 

The ruling is largely considered to be among the most extreme, disgraceful and ill-considered in American history. Taney was also a staunch supporter of slavery and the Confederacy during the Civil War.

Justice Thurgood Marshall is widely considered one of the most consequential civil rights leaders in American history. After establishing the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Marshall went on to successfully argue a number of cases before the Supreme Court, including the bedrock Brown v. Board of Education case that outlawed racial segregation in public schools. 

In 1961, Marshall became the first African American Justice in history to serve on the Supreme Court, where he reliably voted to advance civil rights, protect working families, and oppose the death penalty. 

Roybal-Allard noted that replacing the bust of Taney with a tribute to Marshall would ensure that Marshall’s important work will be honored and remembered for generations to come.

“Thurgood Marshall was a fierce champion for civil rights, a barrier-breaking public servant, and a towering leader who embodied our nation’s most cherished values,” continued Roybal-Allard. “Today, I proudly voted to honor his legacy and secure his rightful place inside our temple of democracy. While removing monuments to those who supported hatred and bigotry will not erase the stains of racism from our nation’s past and present, it is a necessary step toward a future built on freedom, justice, and equality for all.”