PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – A judge’s ruling has cleared the way for the removal of the Christopher Columbus statue from Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park. Common Pleas Judge John T. McVay Jr. issued an opinion finding that the plaintiff in the case, the Italian Sons and Daughters of America, could not point to any case law supporting its position that it can limit the mayor on what to do with city-owned monuments on city-owned land. The group sued two years ago to try to keep the 13-foot-tall statue after the Pittsburgh Art Commission decided to remove it. A spokeswoman for the mayor’s office said they are considering next steps. The judge found that the plaintiff’s position was not supported by law, and said the lawsuit “is an improper interference with the (City of Pittsburgh’s) right to speech.” In summer 2020, as government entities across the country reconsidered the display of statues they felt connoted systemic racism, the Columbus statue in Pittsburgh was targeted. A petition filed with the city asked that it be removed. Within weeks, former Mayor Bill Peduto recommended the removal of the statue. It was wrapped to protect it from further damage after it was vandalized several times.