New York’s highest court dealt a blow to efforts trying keep the Columbus monument in downtown Syracuse. The Court of Appeals Thursday denied the Columbus Monument Corporation’s appeal of a lower court decision that cleared the way for the city to remove the statue.

Mayor Ben Walsh says the ruling is consistent with the city’s firm belief that removing the statue is within their legal right, while also recognizing Syracuse’s Italian American Community. “A critical component of this project and one that we that we're moving forward on, is number one, finding an appropriate place to relocate the monument where people can go and still see it if they're interested," Walsh said.