Judge Restores Philly Slavery Exhibit After White House Removed It
Judge Orders Philly Slavery Exhibit Restored As The Trump Administration Tries To Remove It Again
A federal judge basically told the Trump administration that you can’t remove history from historical museums just because you don’t like it.
Citing George Orwell’s novel “1984,” and overarching themes of totalitarianism, the judge “ordered the Trump administration on Monday to return a long-standing exhibit on slavery it removed from a popular historical museum in Philadelphia,” CNN reports.
US District Judge Cynthia Rufe, appointed by George W. Bush, cited several examples where the Trump administration and Orwell’s classic intersect in her ruling. Rufe granted the City of Philadelphia’s request to restore the exhibit panels to Independence National Historical Park while litigation continues.
“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. It does not,” Rufe said, CNN reports.
Last month, workers took down large art displays inside of the President’s House Site, where Presidents George Washington and John Adams once lived.
The city sued the administration in federal court, claiming government overreach as no one inside the Trump administration spoke with Philadelphia before making the changes.
“The government can convey a different message without restraint elsewhere if it so pleases, but it cannot do so to the President’s House until it follows the law and consults with the City,” Rufe wrote.
On Tuesday, the Interior Department issued a statement noting that it disagreed with the court ruling.
“The National Park Service routinely updates exhibits across the park system to ensure historical accuracy and completeness,” the department 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.”
The administration now plans to appeal the decision to restore the exhibit.
See the social media reaction to the back-and-forth below.
