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A federal judge in Philadelphia ordered the Trump administration to restore a slavery exhibit at George Washington’s former home on Independence Mall by Friday, setting a deadline even as the Justice Department moved to appeal. Senior U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe issued the order Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.
The exhibit focuses on the nine people enslaved by George Washington at his former home, a display that federal officials had removed from the National Park Service site. Rufe issued the deadline as part of ongoing litigation stemming from the dispute over whether and how the government can change the historical presentation on the grounds.
In earlier proceedings, Rufe granted an injunction reinstating the materials while the lawsuit proceeds, and she also limited Trump officials from creating new interpretations of the site’s history as the case moves forward. AP reported that Justice Department officials filed a notice of appeal Tuesday with the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, also in Philadelphia.
Rufe, appointed by Republican President George W. Bush, compared the Trump administration’s actions to the dystopian novel “1984,” saying the administration’s approach resembled totalitarian revision of records. In the 40-page opinion, she wrote that the federal government does not have the power “to dissemble and disassemble historical truths.”
Rufe also warned in the opinion that leaving the site “dismembered” during the dispute would damage the history it recounts, and she said that replacing the exhibits with an alternative script could be an “even more permanent rejection of the site’s historical integrity.” She wrote that the harm would be irreparable, AP reported.
The administration argued that it alone can decide what stories are told at National Park Service properties. AP said Park service workers abruptly removed exhibits last month from the Philadelphia site, prompting the city and other supporters of the exhibit to file suit.
After Rufe issued the Friday restoration deadline, an Interior Department spokesperson said Tuesday the administration had planned an alternative display that would provide “a fuller account of the history of slavery at Independence Hall.” The spokesperson’s comment was described by AP as a response to the judge’s order.
The historical site is one of several where the administration has removed content about enslaved people, LGBTQ+ people and Native Americans, AP said. With millions expected to visit Philadelphia this year for the 250th anniversary of the country’s 1776 founding, the case has become a central fight over how federal sites present contested parts of U.S. history.