South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to call for removal of Confederate flag from capitol grounds

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South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) will hold a news conference at 4 p.m. Monday at which she is expected to call for the removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina Statehouse grounds, The Post and Courier reports. Haley's office, however, would not confirm the topic of the news conference.

As South Carolina law currently stands, the Confederate flag's placement outside the Statehouse is protected by the 2000 South Carolina Heritage Act. The measure was passed as a compromise to place the flag alongside a Confederate soldier's monument when it was removed from the Statehouse dome and from the inside of two chambers. Following the Charleston church shooting last week, state legislators have already begun discussing the possibility of introducing legislation to remove the flag. Lawmakers in the state are still working to finish the state's budget for 2015-16, and language allowing the removal of the flag could enter the state spending plan.