The Orange County Board of Adjustment rejected an appeal by a Hillsborough resident over a large Confederate flag on his private property on Monday.

The board heard the case of Robert Hall Jr., who lives near U.S. Highway 70 and has had a large Confederate flag raised since April 2018. Hall was appealing his flag’s violation of the county’s Unified Development Ordinance, which has an amendment limiting the size of a flag and flagpole. Hall, who says his flag is 375 square feet compared to the county’s 24 square-foot limit, argued the ordinance violates his constitutional right to freedom of speech. The board ruled against Hall with a majority vote.

Hall also noted when filing his appeal that many public comments at county board meetings explicitly or implicitly referred to his Confederate flag as the reason rules were needed. His flag was raised in April, roughly a month after a number of Orange County residents addressed the Board of County Commissioners to express concern regarding the possibility of massive Confederate flags being raised along Highway 70 and NC-54 outside of Chapel Hill. The discussions sparked the board to consider an amendment to limit flag size, which was passed in May.

Alamance County Taking Back Alamance County, or ACTBAC, helped Hall install the flag and praised it on Facebook after it was raised. ACTBAC has been characterized as a Neo-Confederate hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Following the board’s ruling, an attorney for Hall told WRAL that her client will likely file a lawsuit to continue flying the flag. She said Hall spent $10,000 to construct the flag and flagpole.

Photo via Alamance County Taking Back Alamance County Facebook Page.

Related Stories
‹
Orange County Commissioners Weigh Flag Regulations Tuesday
The public has a chance to voice their position to Orange County Commissioners Tuesday night on possibly amending the unified development ordinance in the wake of a Confederate flag being raised on private property along a highway in the county. Commissioners have been considering the ordinance amendment after Alamance County Taking Back Alamance County, which […]
1 Year Later, Orange County Working to Enforce New Flag Ordinance
The public response to a Confederate flag raised last year alongside Route 70 saw residents urge Orange County Commissioners to amend county ordinance regarding flags. The changes were made, including new restrictions on the size of flags allowed based on the zoning of the property where the flag stands. Officials then gave residents one year […]
Hillsborough to Hold Public Hearing on Highway 70 Rezoning Request
Hillsborough’s Board of Commissioners is holding a public hearing on Thursday to address a rezoning request from Orange County for a 21-acre plot of land off of Highway 70. The county is looking to use the land for a new government complex which would include an agricultural center and detention center as well as some […]
Hundreds Gather in Hillsborough to Support Confederate Flag
Several hundred confederate flag supporters gathered in downtown Hillsborough Saturday for a ‘Southern Heritage Ride and Rally.’ It was pitched as an educational event to learn more about the history of the flag and other Confederate memorials. WCHL’s Jess Clark was there, listen below:   Last Thursday, on the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights […]
Red Cross Declares Blood Crisis: Here's Where You Can Donate Locally
The American Red Cross is calling for immediate blood donations, declaring a national blood crisis for the second time in history.
Heavy Rains, Flash Flooding Lead to Interstate 40 Closure and Delays in Hillsborough
UPDATE: As of 10:30 a.m., the closure at the I-40/I-85 split has reopened and Interstate 40 West at Exit 261 reopened at 9 a.m. Flash flooding from early morning rain developed on parts of Interstate 40 and Interstate 85 in Orange County on Thursday, leading to lane closures and significant traffic delays. The North Carolina […]
More than 38,000 Gallons of Untreated Sewage Spills into Unnamed Hillsborough Creek
The Town of Hillsborough responded to a discharge of untreated sewage into an unnamed creek Monday morning. The spill, which the town estimated at 38,400 gallons, is believed to have begun Saturday and has since been stopped. According to a town release, the spill began due to a fence post stuck in an eight-inch sewer […]
Celebration of Independence Day to Alter Local Government Services in Orange County
The celebration of Independence Day on Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4 will affect several local government services in and around Orange County. Here’s a look at what typical services will and won’t be happening during the weekend: Town of Chapel Hill All Chapel Hill administrative offices will be closed Friday, July 3, as […]
Drone Shows and Parades: Here's What to Know Before Orange County's July 4 Celebrations
A variety of July 4 festivities are set to take place across Orange County. Here's how local governments are celebrating.
Viewpoints: America at 250: The Revolution Happened Here, Too
Two questions continued to nag at me: How many generations of my family had lived in Orange County? And was Jacob Albright my direct ancestor?
›