Philadelphia Sues Interior Secretary Doug Burgum Over Slavery Exhibit Removal

The City of Philadelphia filed a federal lawsuit against Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and acting National Park Service Director Jessica Bowron seeking a preliminary injunction to restore slavery panels at the President's House Site, according to court filings.

Crews removed panels that listed names and biographies of the nine people enslaved by George and Martha Washington, including Oney Judge, leaving empty bolt holes on the site walls, the lawsuit and witnesses said.

The Interior Department said the removals followed President Donald Trump's Executive Order No. 14253 requiring review of interpretive materials and called Philadelphia's suit "frivolous," an Interior Department statement said.

Critics including U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans and Ed Stierli of the National Parks Conservation Association condemned the removals as "whitewashing history" and said the action reverses years of collaboration, their statements said.

Philadelphia's complaint argues the city's management partnership grants equal say over design changes and seeks a court order to restore the displays, and the case is pending in federal court, according to the complaint.