A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order to halt the removal of a Confederate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC. The memorial, which was built in 1914 and funded by the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC), includes depictions of enslaved African Americans. The cemetery had begun work to remove the monument on Monday, but the judge's order has put a stop to the project. The cemetery had been given a deadline of 1 January to remove the statue, but it was expected to be taken down by 22 December. A hearing on the matter is set for Wednesday in Alexandria, Virginia.

The decision to remove the memorial has been met with opposition from dozens of Republican lawmakers, who argue that the statue was commissioned to honor the nation's "shared reconciliation from its troubled divisions." However, critics of the memorial, as well as the federal government's 2021 Naming Commission, view the statue as a celebration of the Confederacy's ideals and a sanitization of slavery. The memorial features a woman representing the US South, Confederate soldiers, mythical deities, and two enslaved African Americans. Civil War historian Kevin M Levin describes it as the "clearest example of a Lost Cause statement in a public space in the form of a monument." He theorizes that the UDC wanted the Arlington memorial to serve as a "nonapologetic vindication of the Confederacy."

The memorial's removal is part of an ongoing effort to rename or remove Confederate statues across the US. In 2020, hundreds of these monuments were removed from state and federal locations following public backlash against Confederate symbols after the killing of George Floyd. However, activists have been fighting for their removal for years. In 2017, a push to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Virginia resulted in a violent standoff between anti-racist activists and white supremacist groups. The statue was ultimately removed, but not before a right-wing demonstrator killed a protester and injured many others.

The Confederate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery has drawn criticism for its depiction of slavery and its connection to the United Daughters of the Confederacy, a group that has funded and erected numerous Confederate statues and markers across the US. The memorial's funding and its symbolism have come under scrutiny. The United Daughters of the Confederacy raised money for monuments and memorials that presented a romanticized view of the Confederacy and a sanitized perspective on slavery. The Arlington memorial, in particular, promotes the false narrative of the "loyal slave," perpetuating white supremacy.

The cemetery itself holds significant historical meaning. It was established on a former plantation that was seized from General Robert E. Lee, the commander of the Confederate Army during the Civil War. The plantation was home to nearly 200 enslaved people when Lee lived there. The removal of the Confederate memorial is seen as a step towards more inclusive and democratic representation. However, the cemetery will still include other Confederate monuments, such as graves of fallen soldiers and the Tomb of the Civil War Unknowns.

The temporary restraining order has halted the removal of the Confederate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, but the fate of the statue remains uncertain. It will be stored until a decision is made regarding its future. The hearing on Wednesday will provide further insight into the legal battle surrounding the removal of the monument.