Slavery exhibits must be restored at President's House Site in Philadelphia

A federal judge ordered the National Park Service to restore slavery-related exhibits at the President's House Site to their condition on Jan. 21 and to keep the items secure; the ruling grants a preliminary injunction that remains in effect until the court issues another order.

A federal judge ordered the National Park Service to reinstall exhibits about slavery at the President's House Site in Philadelphia and to preserve the site as it was on Jan. 21. Senior Judge Cynthia M. Rufe issued the ruling and granted the city of Philadelphia's motion for a preliminary injunction. The order requires that items remain safe and undamaged and restricts the installation of any replacement materials without agreement with the city while litigation continues. Key details: - Judge Cynthia M. Rufe directed defendants, including the Secretary of the Interior and the National Park Service, to restore the site to its Jan. 21 condition. - Officials must keep exhibits, grounds, video monitors and recordings properly maintained and secure, and may not install replacement materials without the city's mutual agreement during the litigation. - The order grants the city's preliminary injunction; it is effective until the judge issues another ruling and does not set a specific timeline for restoration. - The displays describe enslaved people who lived at the site with Presidents George Washington and John Adams; the Interior Department previously said the signs were removed under a presidential executive order. Summary: The court has ordered restoration and preservation of the exhibits to their Jan. 21 condition and has kept those protections in place while the legal case proceeds. The preliminary injunction will remain effective until the judge issues further orders, and further court action will determine the longer-term status.