Overview
- Philadelphia sued the Interior Department and National Park Service, citing a 2006 cooperative agreement it says required consultation before altering the President’s House exhibit.
- National Park Service crews removed multiple interpretive panels on Jan. 22–23 under President Trump’s 2025 executive order directing reviews of historical materials.
- In a filing opposing a preliminary injunction, federal attorneys argued the case concerns government speech and said the exhibits are secured in Park Service custody at the Constitution Center.
- Gov. Josh Shapiro filed an amicus brief supporting the city, and the Avenging the Ancestors Coalition joined the legal effort as protesters rallied at the now-empty site.
- The exhibit, titled “Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation,” memorialized nine people enslaved by George Washington, with stakeholders warning of possible damage from the takedown of city- and privately funded panels.