FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Federal Appeals Court to Hear Landmark Confederate Monument Case
JACKSONVILLE, FL – On Friday, June 6, 2025, at 9:00 a.m., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit will hear oral arguments in the case Earl M. Johnson Jr. v. Donna Deegan, as Mayor of Jacksonville, and Ron DeSantis, as Governor of Florida (Case No. 23-11937). A three-judge panel will preside over the hearing at the Federal Courthouse in Jacksonville, Florida.
Originally filed in 2021 during the administration of former Mayor Lenny Curry, Earl M. Johnson Jr.'s lawsuit argues that the display of Confederate monuments on public property—funded by taxpayer dollars—violates the U.S. Constitution and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Johnson, a Black descendant of enslaved people, contends that the monuments are symbols of white supremacy that demean, marginalize, and infringe upon his civil rights.
“This case is about my dignity as an American citizen,” said Johnson. “Public Confederate tributes are City and State endorsements of white supremacy against me as a Black person.”
Johnson is the son of the late Hall of Fame civil rights attorney Earl M. Johnson Sr., who represented Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and was instrumental in desegregating schools and public institutions in Florida during the 1960s. A graduate of Stetson University College of Law, Johnson teaches law studies and founded TakeItDown.Org in 2020.
Supporting the appeal are amici Wells Todd, founder of Take ‘Em Down Jax, and Kelly Frazier, president of the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville and daughter of the late civil rights icon Ben Frazier. Both have long advocated for the removal of Confederate symbols from public spaces and bring powerful voices to the case.
A public rally and press conference will follow the hearing at 10:00 a.m. outside the Federal Courthouse, where Johnson, Todd, and Frazier will address the assembly and the media.
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Media Contacts:
Earl M. Johnson Jr. – (904) 525-2479
Wells Todd – (904) 477-8979
Kelly Frazier – (678) 472-2337