Judge orders Trump administration to safely store slavery exhibits removed from Philadelphia historical site
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to safely store all of the slavery exhibits that were removed from the President's House in Philadelphia at the end of January as the city's lawsuit against the government continues. The order comes after an injunction hearing Friday.
The slavery exhibits are currently being held at the National Constitution Center, near the President's House in Old City. On Monday, the judge inspected the slavery exhibits, along with representatives from the Trump administration and the City of Philadelphia.
According to Judge Cynthia M. Rufe, the court inspected the 34 panels. They haven't been destroyed, but certain panels "exhibited damage."
"Still to be determined by the Court is the extent of any damage and the integrity of the exhibits regarding their amenability to being restored to their original condition," Rufe wrote.
Rufe also issued an order preventing any further removals or changes to the President's House until further notice.
The slavery exhibits were removed from the President's House by the National Park Service under an executive order by President Trump called "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History."
The President's House at 6th and Market streets was once the home of former Presidents George Washington and John Adams. The slavery exhibits were a collaborative effort and detail the lives of nine people enslaved at the home while Washington lived there as president.
The city filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Trump administration to have the exhibits put back after the removal.
According to Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, the city and NPS had an agreement that required the city's approval if any changes were made to the President's House. The city said in the lawsuit that NPS and the Interior Department "did not engage with the city and do not have the city's approval to make unilateral changes to the President's House exhibit."
The removal of the slavery exhibits has been met with criticism from elected officials and protesters demanding them to be put back.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro filed a brief last week to support the city's lawsuit.
"Donald Trump will take any opportunity to rewrite and whitewash our history — but he picked the wrong city and the wrong Commonwealth," Shapiro said in a statement last week.
