A federal judge on Monday ordered the National Park Service to restore slavery-related displays it removed from the President's House site at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia.
The judge ruled that the agency likely acted unlawfully and in excess of its authority.
U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe, a George W. Bush appointee, granted Philadelphia's motion for a preliminary injunction, requiring the federal government to reinstall 34 educational panels and related video exhibits that referenced slavery and slaves held by President George Washington.
The city sued after the National Park Service removed the exhibits on Jan. 22.
The displays detailed the lives of nine slaves who lived and worked at the President's House, including Oney Judge, who escaped to freedom in 1796.
In a sharply worded 40-page opinion, Rufe rejected the government's assertion that it could unilaterally alter the site's historical interpretation.
"As if the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell's '1984' now existed, this Court is now asked to determine whether the federal government has the power it claims — to dissemble and disassemble historical truths when it has some domain over historical facts," Rufe wrote.
"It does not."
The court found the city had standing to sue, citing decades of cooperative agreements between Philadelphia and the Interior Department governing preservation and interpretation of the park.
Under a 1948 federal statute, cooperative agreements for the park must include provisions that "no changes or alterations shall be made in the property within the Independence Hall National Historic Site, including its buildings and grounds ... except by mutual agreement."
Rufe concluded the National Park Service did not seek or obtain the city's agreement before removing the exhibits, despite long-standing contractual and statutory obligations.
"The removal of the President's House displays invaded this legally protected interest," the judge wrote, finding the city's injury "concrete, particularized, and actual."
The court also ruled the city is likely to succeed on its claim that the agency's action was "arbitrary and capricious" under the Administrative Procedure Act.
Rufe said the agency offered no record evidence that it considered its prior interpretive framework or its own governing Foundation Document, which identifies the "Paradox of Freedom and Slavery" as central to the park's mission.
The government cited a March 27, 2025, executive order by President Donald Trump titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," which directed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to ensure federal monuments do not contain content that "inappropriately disparage Americans past or living."
The goal was to instead "focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people."
But Rufe said the executive order required action "consistent with applicable law" and does not authorize agencies to disregard statutory mandates or cooperative agreements.
"It is not disputed that President Washington owned slaves," the court wrote, rejecting any suggestion that the exhibits were historically inaccurate.
Rufe also faulted the agency for failing to provide a reasoned explanation for what she described as a "sharp turnaround in agency policy."
On the separation-of-powers issue, the judge wrote that Congress "specifically limited the authority of the Interior Department and the National Parks Service to unilaterally alter or control" the park and that the agencies "do not have the authority to flout that Congressional directive."
In concluding the city demonstrated irreparable harm, Rufe said each visitor who does not learn about founding-era slavery at the site "receives a false account of this country's history."
The injunction requires the government to "reinstall all panels, displays, and video exhibits that were previously in place" and to prevent further changes absent a mutual written agreement with the city.
The order will remain in effect pending further litigation.
Newsmax reached out to the Department of Justice and the Interior Department for comment.
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