Judge orders slavery exhibits restored at George Washington’s Philadelphia home

PHILADELPHIA — A federal judge on Monday ordered the Trump administration to restore slavery exhibits that the National Park Service removed from the President’s House last month.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe requires the federal government to restore the site “to its physical condition as of January 21, 2026,” the day before the exhibits were removed.

The order did not set a deadline for restoration, but required the National Park Service to take steps to maintain the site and ensure the safety of exhibits commemorating the slaves who lived in George Washington’s Philadelphia home during his presidency.

Rufe, a George W. Bush appointee, likened the Trump administration’s argument that it can unilaterally control exhibits in national parks to the Ministry of Truth in “1984,” a George Orwell novel about a dystopian totalitarian regime.

“This Court is now asked to determine whether the federal government has the power it claims – to conceal and dismantle historical truths when it has some power over historical facts,” Rufe wrote. “That’s not the case.”

The administration’s attempt to modify the President’s House is part of a national initiative to remove content posted in national parks that “inappropriately disparages past or living Americans,” in accordance with orders issued by President Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum last year. For example, Park Service employees removed signs about the mistreatment of Native Americans from the Grand Canyon.

Philadelphia filed a federal lawsuit against Burgum, acting National Park Service Director Jessica Bowron and their agencies the day the exhibits were dismantled.

The federal government has the option to appeal the judge’s order. The Interior Department, National Park Service and U.S. Attorney’s Office did not immediately comment on the decision, which falls on Presidents Day, a federal holiday.

At a hearing last month, Rufe called the argument that a president could unilaterally change exhibits on display in national parks “horrible” and “dangerous.” She ordered the federal government to ensure the safety of the panels after an inspection and visit to the President’s House earlier this month.

Monday’s decision followed an updated injunction request from the city that called for the site to be fully restored — not just that the exhibits be maintained safely. In response, the federal government’s brief argued that the National Park Service has discretion over exhibits and that the city’s lawsuit should be dismissed on procedural grounds.

The federal government also argued that removing the exhibits could not cause any irreparable harm because they are documented online and replacing the panels would cost $20,000.

But the judge ruled that the city had met its burden.

“If the President’s House is dismembered throughout this conflict, so is the story it tells, and so is the city’s relationship to that history,” Rufe wrote.

The injunction itself does not resolve the underlying lawsuit and remains in effect for the duration of the litigation.

Avenging the Ancestors Coalition, the primary advocacy organization leading the fight to protect the President’s House, was a little less than an hour into its Presidents’ Day at the site when leaders learned of their victory.

Michael Coard, a leader of the Black-led advocacy group that helped develop the site before it opened in 2010, told the crowd of about 100 people gathered at the President’s House: “Thanks to all of you and your presence and your activism, I have great news: We just won in federal court.” »

But the fight is not over, advocates said, with Coard expecting the Trump administration to appeal or ignore any future decisions.

“This is a lawless administration. People are going to have to step up to the plate to force them to do the right thing,” Coard said.

Gutman and Roth write for the Philadelphia Inquirer.