PHILADELPHIA—A statue of Christopher Columbus can remain in south Philadelphia, a judge ruled, reversing the city’s decision to remove it after the explorer became a focus of protesters amid nationwide demonstrations after the police killing of George Floyd. Last year’s decision to remove the now-boarded-up statue from Marconi Plaza was unsupported by law and based on insufficient evidence, Common Pleas Court Judge Paula Patrick said. “It is baffling to this court as to how the city of Philadelphia wants to remove the statue without any legal basis. The city’s entire argument and case is devoid of any legal foundation,” Patrick wrote. The ruling Tuesday overturns a decision in September by a city licensing board that upheld a July 2020 decision by the city historical commission to remove the 144-year-old statue. The judge wrote that the city failed to provide an adequate opportunity for public input about its future. A city …