Judge Orders Restoration of Slavery Displays at Washington’s House

A federal judge on Monday ordered the administration to temporarily restore displays about George Washington’s ownership of enslaved people at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia, granting a preliminary injunction to the City of Philadelphia against the Interior Department and the National Park Service.

Park Service workers arrived unannounced last month and took down panels, displays and video exhibits that described the local history of slavery and commemorated the nine enslaved people Washington kept there while he was president. The Park Service said the materials were removed to ensure “accuracy, honesty and alignment with shared national values.” In a 40‑page opinion, Judge Cynthia M.

Rufe wrote that the government did not have the power to erase or alter historical accounts, likening the claim to George Orwell’s “1984.” Her order bars further alterations to the site but does not set a deadline for restoring the displays; unless stayed by a higher court, the injunction will remain in effect until a final ruling.

United States, Philadelphia

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