Federal judge orders return of slavery panels at president’s house in Philadelphia

A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration wrongly removed slavery memorial panels from the President's House historic site in Philadelphia, ordering their return pending further litigation, media reports said on Monday.

US District Judge Cynthia Marie Rufe on Monday granted a preliminary injunction requiring the National Park Service to restore the panels, which had been taken down on Jan. 22, according to NBC News.

The National Park Service cited a March 2025 executive order by President Donald Trump prohibiting exhibitions or programs at federal sites based on race.

Among the 34 historical panels at the site, 13 focused on the nine men, women and children enslaved by George Washington during his time at the residence.

Attorney and activist Michael Coard, who helped lead earlier efforts to install the panels, said: "We battled for eight solid years for the grand opening of the first slavery memorial of its kind on federal property in the history of the United States."

"What started me to do this was anger and rage and outrage," he added.

The campaign began in 2002 after plans were announced to relocate the Liberty Bell to the site of Washington's former executive
residence without clear acknowledgment of enslavement there.

Coard said the 13 removed panels "highlighted the horror of slavery," including "the beatings, the whippings, the rapes, the sodomy."
An Interior Department spokesperson said federal agencies are reviewing materials to ensure "accuracy, honesty and alignment with shared national values."

White House spokesman Davis Ingle said Trump "is ensuring that we are honoring the fullness of the American story instead of distorting it in the name of left-wing ideology."

More than 200 activists protested the removal last week.

"The very fact that this is a memorial to the enslaved people of the United States … is significant," said coalition member Mijuel Johnson.

Coard said the group is seeking "restoration," "enhancement" and "replication" of similar memorials nationwide.

"We are passionate about this," he said, "and we're going to win this fight."