Philadelphia judge sets Friday deadline for return of slavery panels at President’s House

Trump administration ordered to restore slavery panels by Friday

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore historical panels about slavery at the President’s House site in Philadelphia by 5:00 p.m. Friday, following their removal by the National Park Service and subsequent protests and legal action.

PHILADELPHIA - A federal judge has set a deadline for the Trump administration to restore more than 30 historical panels about slavery at the President’s House site, after the National Park Service removed them last month.

Legal fight and community protest over historical panels

What we know:

A federal judge ordered the National Park Service to restore the panels by 5:00 p.m. Friday, after previously finding the agency did not comply with an earlier order, according to court records.

The City of Philadelphia filed a lawsuit against the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service, with support from the governor, state lawmakers and groups like Avenging the Ancestors Coalition.

The panels tell the stories of nine people who were enslaved at George Washington’s home. 

Their removal on Jan. 22 led to ongoing protests and community action at the site.

Michael Coard, founder of Avenging the Ancestors Coalition, said, "For us it’s not a question of whether we’ll win. It’s only a question of when we’ll win."

On Wednesday night, new barricades were set up at the President’s House site. Volunteers from Old City Remembers have been reading the information from the missing panels to tourists.

Elizabeth Kimball of Old City Remembers said, "It was a really democratic process. It was an important part of Philadelphia history to remember the way that slavery was part of our founding. A particular administration doesn’t have the right to just change that."

Andy Halstead of Old City Remembers said, "You can put the barricades there, but we’ll still be over here reading the panels themselves, so we’ll see what tomorrow brings. We’ll see what Friday brings, but in the meantime, we’ll be here."

A visitor from France, Heloise, said, "I’m kind of speechless. The inscriptions could’ve helped me know what happened before."

The Department of the Interior said, "If not for this unnecessary judicial intervention, updated interpretive materials providing a fuller account of the history of slavery at Independence Hall would have been installed in the coming days."

Gov. Josh Shapiro responded, "I would not let Donald Trump or anyone who works for him whitewash our shared history here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. We need to know where we came from in order to chart a course for the future that’s more inclusive, that’s more tolerant, and more just."

Volunteers from Old City Remembers are taking shifts at the site to share the stories from the missing panels with visitors.

Timeline:

• Jan. 22: National Park Service removes more than 30 panels from the President’s House site.
• City of Philadelphia files lawsuit, joined by state and community groups.
• Judge grants a preliminary injunction and orders the panels restored by President’s Day.
• U.S. attorneys file an appeal.
• Wednesday: Judge sets a new deadline for restoration by 5:00 p.m. Friday.
• Barricades are installed at the site and volunteers begin reading the missing content to visitors.

What's next:

The National Park Service has until 5:00 p.m. Friday to restore the panels, as ordered by the federal judge. 

Community groups plan to continue their activism and public readings at the site.

Avenging the Ancestors Coalition will hold a rally at 3:30 p.m. Friday at the President’s House site.

What we don't know:

It is not yet clear if the National Park Service will meet the judge’s deadline to restore the panels or if further legal action will follow. 

The timeline for any new interpretive materials has not been confirmed.