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Federal Judge Orders Restoration of Philadelphia Slavery Exhibits, Blocks Further Changes

The ruling responds to Philadelphia’s suit alleging a breach of a city–federal agreement after the Park Service stripped the site in January.

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People spend time at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 4, 2021. REUTERS/Hannah Beier/File Photo
Mijuel Johnson, a tour guide with The Black Journey: African-American Walking Tour of Philadelphia, leads Judge Cynthia Rufe as she visits the President’s House in Independence National Historical Park Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (Tom Gralish/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS)
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Overview

  • U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe granted a preliminary injunction in favor of the City of Philadelphia over the President’s House site at Independence National Historical Park.
  • The order requires the federal government to restore the site to its Jan. 21, 2026 condition, reinstalling all 34 panels and video exhibits and safeguarding the removed materials.
  • Further alterations or replacement materials are barred without Philadelphia’s written agreement, and the Park Service must continue routine maintenance of the site and equipment.
  • The National Park Service removed the materials on Jan. 22 citing a 2025 executive order from President Donald Trump; the city alleges the action was arbitrary and violated a 2006 cooperative agreement and federal law.
  • Rufe’s opinion sharply rejected the government’s claimed power to reshape historical displays, invoking Orwell’s 1984, and left the case pending with no deadline set for reinstallation.