June 9, 2021 RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A 131-year-old statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee took center stage Tuesday as the Supreme Court of Virginia heard arguments on whether the state has the right to take down the once-celebrated monument that is now widely seen as a symbol of white supremacy and Black oppression. The court heard arguments in two lawsuits that challenge Gov. Ralph Northam’s plan to remove the enormous bronze equestrian statue of Lee from a traffic circle on Richmond’s Monument Avenue. It’s unclear when the judges will issue their ruling. The court generally averages about six to nine weeks to render decisions after oral arguments, but there are wide variations among cases. During Tuesday’s virtual hearing, the justices did not ask a single question of the state’s lawyer or the attorneys representing the plaintiffs in the lawsuits. Although the court had allotted a total of 70 minutes for arguments in the two cases, the actual arguments took just over 30 minutes.