A judge sided with the city of Philadelphia in its lawsuit to restore slavery exhibits that were removed in January to a presidential home site.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order in March 2025 titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” which led to some exhibits at national monuments being taken down.
‘We encourage the City of Philadelphia to focus on getting their jobless rates down and ending their reckless cashless bail policy instead of filing frivolous lawsuits in the hopes of demeaning our brave Founding Fathers.’
The city of Philadelphia objected to the removal of slavery information from exhibits at the President’s House exhibit, where Presidents George Washington and John Adams once lived. The site is operated by the National Park Service.
The lawsuit cited a previous agreement with the NPS that said “communication and consultation” standards must be met between the parties for changes to the site.
On Monday, Senior Judge Cynthia M. Rufe ruled that the exhibits must be restored to their original state before the day of removal. She began the ruling with a quote from George Orwell’s “1984.”
The lawsuit listed the National Park Service as a defendant, as well as Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, the Department of the Interior, and National Park Service Acting Director Jessica Bowron.
“I strongly opposed the Trump administration’s decision to remove these exhibits, and I welcome the federal court’s ruling that they must be restored. … I will continue fighting to ensure these exhibits are fully restored and accessible to the public,” Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Penn.) said about the ruling.
A spokesperson for the NPS lambasted the city after the lawsuit was filed.
“All federal agencies are to review interpretive materials to ensure accuracy, honesty, and alignment with shared national values. Following completion of the required review, the National Park Service is now taking appropriate action in accordance with the Order,” reads the statement from the spokesperson.
“We encourage the City of Philadelphia to focus on getting their jobless rates down and ending their reckless cashless bail policy instead of filing frivolous lawsuits in the hopes of demeaning our brave Founding Fathers who set the brilliant road map for the greatest country in the world — the United States of America,” the statement continues.
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Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia executive director Paul Steinke told CBS News that the removal was a “terrible day for American history.”
“The decision to do this appears to be made because the President’s House Site memorialized the nine enslaved individuals that were held there against their will by President Washington and his wife, Martha,” he said, “and this is the only federal historic site that commemorates the history of slavery in America.”
Rufe was appointed to the court by former President George W. Bush in 2002.
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