Kinzinger, Davis Vote to Remove Confederate Statues from U.S. Capitol

By Benjamin Cox on June 30, 2021 at 11:53am

Two Illinois GOP Congressman voted yesterday to approve a measure to remove statues of Confederate leaders from the U.S. Capitol.

13th District Congressman Rodney Davis and 16th District Congressman Adam Kinzinger voted with House Democrats to take down busts and statues of leaders with ties to the Confederacy. The move would, among other things, take down a bust of Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney, who authored the Dred Scott decision in 1857 declaring people of African descent not to be U.S. Citizens. The Chicago Sun-Times says the plan is to install a bust of Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American justice on the court, in his place. The bill specifically mentions Jefferson Davis, Charles Brantley Aycock, John C. Calhoun, and James Paul Clarke.

The Capitol architect now has 45 days to identify and remove the statues. Any removed statue that was provided to the Capitol by a state would be returned to the state, which could then elect to replace it with another honoree.

Kinzinger and Davis were among the 67 Republicans joining Democrats in backing the measure. 18th District Congressman Darin LaHood voted against the measure. 15th District Congresswoman Mary Miller did not vote.