Submitted by BlueNC on
Wed, 12/23/2020 - 08:31
NC SUPREME COURT WILL REMOVE PORTRAIT OF BRUTAL SLAVE OWNER: Thomas Ruffin, a slave owner in the 1800s, believed an owner's power over his slave was absolute. He once wrote in a court ruling that slaveholders should not be convicted for the assault or battery of an enslaved person. The court's decision to remove the portrait took note of Ruffin's slave ownership and his rulings defending slavery. Its announcement said Ruffin was regarded by his contemporaries as “particularly brutal in his ownership of slaves.” “It is important that our courtroom spaces convey the highest ideals of justice and that people who come before our Court feel comfortable knowing that they will be treated fairly,” Beasley wrote.