Lawyers for both the city of Syracuse and the Columbus Monument Corporation presented arguments on Monday to the New York State Appellate Division’s Fourth Judicial Department amid CMC’s ongoing challenge to Mayor Ben Walsh’s plans to remove the Christopher Columbus monument in downtown Syracuse. The hearing comes after a year-long appeal process through which Walsh has pushed to reverse a state judge’s March 2022 decision favoring CMC.

At Monday’s hearing in Rochester, attorneys for each party debated whether New York State Supreme Court Justice Gerard Neri issued the decision prematurely in Walsh’s process to physically remove the monument. Since Neri’s decision and amid the city’s appeal, several local organizations have filed amicus curiae briefs and held protests to continue advocating for the removal.