Overview
- On Feb. 16, Judge Cynthia M. Rufe ordered the President’s House Site restored to its Jan. 21 condition, requiring reinstallation of 34 panels and video exhibits about nine people enslaved by George Washington.
- The injunction bars any further changes without Philadelphia’s written consent and requires preservation of all removed materials, but it sets no specific deadline for completion.
- Rufe deemed the removal unlawful and “arbitrary and capricious,” citing a 2006 cooperative agreement and rejecting the government’s claim of unilateral control over the site.
- The National Park Service took down the exhibits on Jan. 22 under President Trump’s March 2025 executive order directing removal of materials that “inappropriately disparage” Americans.
- The Justice Department has filed a notice of appeal with the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and may seek a stay, leaving compliance steps and timing for reinstallation subject to further rulings.