In ruling, judge cited quote from Orwell’s novel 1984 describing process by which authoritarians rewrite history
A federal judge in Pennsylvania on Monday ordered the National Park Service to reinstall a slavery exhibit at a Philadelphia historic site, pending the outcome of ongoing litigation after the city sued the federal government over its removal.
The National Park Service last month dismantled and removed a long-established slavery-related exhibit at the Independence National Historical park, which holds the former residence of George Washington, in response to Donald Trump’s claims, which have been rejected by civil rights groups, of “anti-American ideology” at historical and cultural institutions.
The city of Philadelphia sued over the matter, accusing the Department of the Interior, which oversees the National Park Service, and top officials of breaking the law and asking a judge to restore the exhibit.
On Monday, a federal judge in Pennsylvania, Cynthia Rufe, granted the city’s request to temporarily block the federal government’s changes and ordered the National Park Service to restore the exhibit pending the outcome of litigation.
