Frederick Officials Taking Up Issue Of Disputed Taney Statue

FREDERICK, Md. (AP) -- Frederick city officials are considering a proposal to remove from City Hall a sculpture of the U.S. Supreme Court justice who wrote the 1857 Dred Scott decision affirming slavery.

The plan proposed last week by Alderman Donna Kuzemchak is on the agenda for Wednesday's workshop meeting of the Board of Alderman. No decision is expected.

Supporters of the proposal say they equate the bust of Roger Brooke Taney with the Confederate battle flag.

Taney was a Calvert County native who practiced law in Frederick before a political career that led to his appointment as the fifth chief justice. The sculpture was erected in 1931.

A previous push to remove the statue ended in a compromise in 2009 when the city added a plaque about the Dred Scott decision.

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