SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – A judge ordered that Confederate flags flying near Interstate 85 in Spartanburg County be temporarily lowered or removed.
The decision follows a Jan. 29 order from Circuit Court Judge J. Mark Hayes requiring the flag to be removed or lowered 30 feet by Feb. 5.
The flag will appear on the interstate for the first time in 2022.
In 2019, less than an acre of land off Teaberry Road belonging to Adam Washington Ballenger Camp #68 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) was taken over by new owners, according to court records.
Court documents show SCV built a 120-foot-long flagpole without obtaining required permits, resulting in a violation notice from the county’s Planning and Development Commission.
At a January 2023 hearing, the board sided with the Sons of Confederate Veterans. A subsequent ruling in February 2024 overturned the Zoning Board of Appeals decision.
Court records show SCV did not share the height of the flagpole with county officials. Although those details were not shared with the county, SCV sought Federal Aviation Administration approval for the structure.
“Structures that are foreseeable to distract an aircraft are the same structures that are foreseeable to distract and endanger an interstate driver,” the order reads.
The case is also pending before the South Carolina Court of Appeals.
The full court order is below:
Sons of Confederate Veterans Court Order Download
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