Vandal hits bust of judge who issued Dred Scott ruling

FREDERICK, Md. — Frederick police are investigating the vandalism of a bust honoring the Supreme Court justice who wrote the 1857 Dred Scott decision affirming slavery.

Authorities say the bust of Roger Brooke Taney was found covered in a red paint-like substance Sunday morning.

Frederick Police Sgt. Paul Beliveau told WTOP that police got the call at around 8:15 a.m.

“We were notified by a citizen who was passing by city hall that one of the statues in front of city hall had been defaced. There was paint of some type that had been dumped on it,” Beliveau says.

The paint was still wet when police arrived, suggesting the vandalism occurred overnight, Beliveau tells WTOP.

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