A federal court in Pennsylvania has directed the National Park Service to restore a slavery exhibition at a Philadelphia historical location while legal proceedings continue, following the city’s lawsuit against the federal government regarding the display’s removal.
Last month, the National Park Service took apart and removed the exhibition after President Donald Trump made allegations of “anti-American ideology” at historical and cultural facilities – claims that civil rights organizations have dismissed.
Philadelphia filed a lawsuit over the issue, claiming the Department of the Interior, which manages the National Park Service, and senior officials violated the law, and requested judicial intervention to bring back the display.
On Monday, Eastern District of Pennsylvania Judge Cynthia Rufe approved Philadelphia’s motion to temporarily halt the federal government’s actions and commanded the National Park Service to put the exhibition back in place while the legal case proceeds.
“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,” Judge Rufe wrote in her decision. “It does not.”
Both the National Park Service and Philadelphia officials did not immediately provide responses to requests for comment regarding the judge’s ruling.
The display was located at the President’s House Site within Independence National Historical Park, the residence of America’s first president, George Washington, during Philadelphia’s time as the nation’s capital. The President’s House exhibition detailed the history of slavery and Washington’s ownership of enslaved individuals.
Civil rights organizations have criticized the Trump administration for reversing social advancement.
Source: https://srnnews.com/us-judge-tells-national-park-service-to-reinstall-philadelphia-slavery-exhibit/
