A federal judge delivered a stinging rebuke to the Trump administration on Presidents Day, ordering the restoration of an exhibit about enslaved people at George Washington's Philadelphia home. U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe ruled that the National Park Service must reinstate the display after removing it under Trump's executive order targeting historical narratives.

The exhibit at Independence National Historical Park had been removed as part of Trump's March 27, 2025, directive titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History." The order instructed federal agencies to eliminate displays that "inappropriately disparage Americans past or living." Judge Rufe's ruling referenced George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984, arguing that the government cannot erase historical truths.

This marks the latest in a series of Trump administration efforts to reshape historical narratives at national sites. The administration has previously removed LGBTQ+ references from the Stonewall National Monument and altered exhibits at Grand Canyon National Park. Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker had filed the lawsuit challenging the exhibit's removal, setting up a legal battle over how America presents its complex history at federal sites.