Judge orders Trump admin to restore George Washington enslaved people exhibit in Philadelphia
TOI GLOBAL DESK | TOI GLOBAL | Feb 17, 2026, 22:46 IST
A judge has ordered the Trump administration to reinstate a crucial exhibit about George Washington's enslaved people, which the National Park Service had removed from Philadelphia's President's House Site. The judge strongly criticized the removal, labeling it censorship and deeming the action completely unacceptable and wrong.
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore an exhibit on George Washington's enslaved people at his former home in Philadelphia. U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe ruled on Presidents Day that explanatory panels removed by the National Park Service must be reinstated in their original condition while a lawsuit challenging the removal proceeds. The administration had ordered the removal of such exhibits, citing a desire to restore "truth and sanity to American history" and prevent sites from displaying elements that "inappropriately disparage Americans past or living."
The exhibit, located at the President’s House Site in Independence National Historical Park, detailed the lives of nine individuals enslaved by George and Martha Washington during the 1790s when Philadelphia served as the nation's capital. The removal occurred after the Trump administration directed the Interior Department to ensure historical sites do not display elements that "inappropriately disparage Americans past or living."
Judge Rufe, an appointee of Republican President George W. Bush, invoked George Orwell's "1984" in her written order, comparing the administration's actions to the totalitarian regime's Ministry of Truth.
"As if the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell’s 1984 now existed, with its motto ‘Ignorance is Strength,’ this Court is now asked to determine whether the federal government has the power it claims — to dissemble and disassemble historical truths when it has some domain over historical facts," Rufe wrote.
"It does not."
During a January hearing, Rufe had warned Justice Department lawyers that their statements regarding the government's ability to select which parts of U.S. history to display at National Park Service sites were "dangerous" and "horrifying." The Interior Department did not immediately comment on the ruling, which was issued while government offices were closed for the federal holiday. Federal officials retain the right to appeal the decision.
This Philadelphia exhibit is among several historical sites where the administration has removed content concerning the history of enslaved people, LGBTQ+ individuals, and Native Americans. Signage at Grand Canyon National Park that described how settlers displaced Native American tribes and exploited the landscape for mining and grazing has also disappeared. Similarly, at the Stonewall National Monument, references to the LGBTQ+ rights movement's history and key figures have been removed.
The Philadelphia exhibit, established two decades prior through a collaboration between the city and federal authorities, included biographical information on the nine enslaved individuals. Among them was Oney Judge, who escaped from the Washingtons' Philadelphia residence in 1796 and fled to New Hampshire. Washington declared her a fugitive and published advertisements seeking her return.
The site's connection to Judge's escape led to its inclusion in a national network of Underground Railroad sites in 2022, a designation that commits the agency to "honor, preserve and promote the history of resistance to enslavement through escape and flight." Judge Rufe stated that the removal of materials about Judge "conceals crucial information linking the site" to this network.
Following the removal of explanatory panels on January 22, only the names of the nine enslaved individuals remained engraved on a cement wall. These names included Oney Judge, Austin, Paris, Hercules, Richmond, Giles, Moll, Joe, and Christopher Sheels. Hercules also escaped in 1797 and lived under the name Hercules Posey in New York City, despite being declared a fugitive slave.
Local politicians and Black community leaders expressed support for the ruling, which coincided with rallies advocating for the exhibit's restoration. State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, a Philadelphia Democrat, characterized the decision as a victory for the community against an attempt by the Trump administration to "whitewash our history."
"Philadelphians fought back, and I could not be more proud of how we stood together," he stated. The judge did not specify a timeline for the exhibit's restoration, and federal officials can appeal the ruling.
The exhibit, located at the President’s House Site in Independence National Historical Park, detailed the lives of nine individuals enslaved by George and Martha Washington during the 1790s when Philadelphia served as the nation's capital. The removal occurred after the Trump administration directed the Interior Department to ensure historical sites do not display elements that "inappropriately disparage Americans past or living."
Judge Rufe, an appointee of Republican President George W. Bush, invoked George Orwell's "1984" in her written order, comparing the administration's actions to the totalitarian regime's Ministry of Truth.
"As if the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell’s 1984 now existed, with its motto ‘Ignorance is Strength,’ this Court is now asked to determine whether the federal government has the power it claims — to dissemble and disassemble historical truths when it has some domain over historical facts," Rufe wrote.
"It does not."
During a January hearing, Rufe had warned Justice Department lawyers that their statements regarding the government's ability to select which parts of U.S. history to display at National Park Service sites were "dangerous" and "horrifying." The Interior Department did not immediately comment on the ruling, which was issued while government offices were closed for the federal holiday. Federal officials retain the right to appeal the decision.
This Philadelphia exhibit is among several historical sites where the administration has removed content concerning the history of enslaved people, LGBTQ+ individuals, and Native Americans. Signage at Grand Canyon National Park that described how settlers displaced Native American tribes and exploited the landscape for mining and grazing has also disappeared. Similarly, at the Stonewall National Monument, references to the LGBTQ+ rights movement's history and key figures have been removed.
The Philadelphia exhibit, established two decades prior through a collaboration between the city and federal authorities, included biographical information on the nine enslaved individuals. Among them was Oney Judge, who escaped from the Washingtons' Philadelphia residence in 1796 and fled to New Hampshire. Washington declared her a fugitive and published advertisements seeking her return.
The site's connection to Judge's escape led to its inclusion in a national network of Underground Railroad sites in 2022, a designation that commits the agency to "honor, preserve and promote the history of resistance to enslavement through escape and flight." Judge Rufe stated that the removal of materials about Judge "conceals crucial information linking the site" to this network.
Following the removal of explanatory panels on January 22, only the names of the nine enslaved individuals remained engraved on a cement wall. These names included Oney Judge, Austin, Paris, Hercules, Richmond, Giles, Moll, Joe, and Christopher Sheels. Hercules also escaped in 1797 and lived under the name Hercules Posey in New York City, despite being declared a fugitive slave.
Local politicians and Black community leaders expressed support for the ruling, which coincided with rallies advocating for the exhibit's restoration. State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, a Philadelphia Democrat, characterized the decision as a victory for the community against an attempt by the Trump administration to "whitewash our history."
"Philadelphians fought back, and I could not be more proud of how we stood together," he stated. The judge did not specify a timeline for the exhibit's restoration, and federal officials can appeal the ruling.