McAuliffe bid to banish Confederate flag from plates opposed | News/Talk 960

Speaking on the day when South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will sign a bill removing the Confederate flag from the grounds of the state capitol, Hogan said he was only willing to go so far in erasing the rebel flag from Maryland history. A spokesman for Hogan said the administration is still looking into what steps need to be taken for the plates’ removal.

Last month’s mass shooting at a historic African American church in South Carolina has been the catalyst for calls across the country for the removal of the Confederate flag from places of honor.

The organization is also fighting a court battle in Virginia to force the state to make specialty license plates available for members of the organization that bear the Confederate flag.

“They’re moving this train a little too fast”, said Kirk D. Taylor, an attorney for the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

“The Governor on his authority alone does not have the power to demand license plates off of the street”.

Following these developments, the Sons of Confederate Veterans released a statement expressing their dismay over the decision. The group sued and a federal appeals court ultimately ruled the state’s stance was discriminatory.

Gov. McAuliffe referenced a US Supreme Court ruling on a Texas case when issuing his decision in June to have the specialty license plates recalled.

A hearing on the Commonwealth’s Motion to Vacate Judgment and Dissolve Injunction is now scheduled for July 31, 2015, at 11:00 AM at the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Danville.

The battle between the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles will be heard in a courtroom.

In Virginia and Richmond, the ex- capital of the Confederacy, the national debate over the messages that Confederate symbols send has stirred strong feelings.