EDENTON — The North Carolina Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans filed a notice of appeal challenging a superior court judge’s decision to dismiss a lawsuit over the Confederate Memorial in Edenton, marking the latest chapter in a three-year legal battle.
SCV attorneys filed the appeal Friday, Sept. 26, with the North Carolina Court of Appeals, seeking to overturn Superior Court Judge Wayland J. Sermons Jr.’s August 28 ruling that dismissed the case. That appeal can be downloaded at the end of the story.
The appeal, filed under Rule 3 of the North Carolina Rules of Appellate Procedure, will proceed to the North Carolina Court of Appeals. The Sons of Confederate Veterans are represented by attorneys Steven Rader and James Wilson Jr.
The lawsuit, filed in 2022, involved three Confederate heritage organizations: the United Daughters of the Confederacy North Carolina Division, the North Carolina Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and the Colonel William F. Martin Camp 1521 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. These groups sued the Town of Edenton over issues related to a Confederate monument.
The case took a significant turn in March 2025 when the Town of Edenton and Chowan County approved a Memorandum of Understanding. Under this agreement, the county would purchase the disputed monument from the town. The town would pay for its relocation from South Broad Street to the Veterans’ Park area adjacent to the Chowan County Courthouse, at the intersection of East Queen and Court streets.
During an August 25, 2025 hearing, it was noted that two of the three plaintiff organizations — the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Colonel William F. Martin Camp — consented to the relocation agreement between Edenton and Chowan County, according to the amended order. However, the Sons of Confederate Veterans did not agree to the arrangement.
Sermons found that the monument relocation agreement rendered the claims of the consenting parties “moot,” since the Town of Edenton would no longer have legal interest in the monument once ownership transferred to the county.
The court denied several motions by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, including requests to amend their complaint, consolidate the case, and continue proceedings. Sermons also dissolved a restraining order that had been in place since March 2023 and denied an oral motion to stay the order pending appeal. Filed Aug. 27, that order can be downloaded at the end of the story.
Worth noting, an amended order signed by Sermons on Aug. 28 says that the parties involved in the lawsuit will bear their own costs — that change is different from the initial order. That amended order is found at the end of the story.
The Town of Edenton has not yet publicly commented on the appeal that was filed before the Chowan County Courthouse near the end of day on Friday. But to be fair, it’s the near the end of a long week, a couple of big storms are moving toward the coast, and the matter, because it involves ongoing litigation, is considered one of those subject areas that probably won’t generate a comment from Town Hall. That said, we can update the story to include any comment if we receive anything.
Flashback — the Confederate Memorial to Chowan County’s Civil War dead — 47 souls — was removed from its longtime location on South Broad Street the night of Aug. 30-31 — Labor Day weekend. The initial expense for the relocation was $35,000 according to Town Hall. Also, remember to add to that total $52,000 for legal expenses.
Several media outlets have published that the statue was taken to the current Chowan County Jail, located at the intersection of Court and East Church streets, and placed in an enclosure for storage.
Last week, the Chowan County Monument Relocation Committee met and hired a designer for relocating the Confederate monument to courthouse grounds. The committee, established during the county commissioners’ annual retreat in March, was tasked with developing recommendations for site improvements that would accommodate both the relocated Confederate monument and the existing veterans memorial in an aesthetically pleasing arrangement that complies with town and historic district regulations.
One response to “Sons of Confederate Veterans Appeals Court Ruling on Edenton Monument Case”
I have relatives that fought and died in both sides of the war. These statues are to remind us of the soldiers who lost their lives. I personally love them. You can not erase history but you can learn from it! I’m proud to be raised in the South!