A Spartanburg County judge has ordered the removal of a Confederate flag that flew prominently along Interstate 85, ruling against the Sons of Confederate Veterans in a zoning dispute. Judge Mark Hayes rejected the group's appeal of a county decision that the 120-foot flagpole violated land-use regulations on a vacant lot near Teaberry Road.

This ruling marks the latest chapter in South Carolina's long-standing debate over Confederate symbols. The flag had flown for years in a location where over 80,000 vehicles passed daily. The county argued that because the property had no primary use like a residence or business, the flagpole constituted a noncompliant accessory use. The Sons of Confederate Veterans had previously won at the county zoning appeals board in 2023 before the matter reached circuit civil court.

The decision reflects ongoing tensions surrounding Confederate imagery in the state, where the flag once flew atop the statehouse from 1961 until 2000. While defenders view it as a symbol of regional heritage, critics connect it to white supremacist groups and slavery. The flag's removal from the I-85 location represents another shift in how South Carolina addresses these divisive historical symbols.