Philadelphia has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration after the National Park Service removed a memorial honoring the nine people enslaved by George Washington at the President’s House in the city, reports Baltimore Chronicle. The memorial, part of the “Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation” exhibit, was established in 2010 to document the lives of those enslaved at the historic site.
The complaint, submitted Thursday to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, names the National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Department of the Interior, as well as Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Acting NPS Director Jessica Bowron. Philadelphia officials argue that the removal of the interpretive panels occurred “without notice” and violated multiple federal laws, including a 2006 agreement that governed the construction and approval of the exhibit. That agreement explicitly granted the city the right to review and approve the final design of the President’s House Project.
According to the lawsuit, NPS and the Interior Department acted arbitrarily by removing the panels without consulting Philadelphia, undermining the city’s legally established approval rights. “The City’s right to approve the exhibit’s final design, including the interpretive displays, would be meaningless if the NPS could at any time later change or remove the displays without the City’s approval,” the filing states.
The Trump administration removed the exhibit in compliance with President Donald Trump’s March 27, 2025, executive order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” which directs federal cultural institutions to eliminate “divisive, race-centered ideology” and related narratives. A spokesperson for the Department of the Interior stated that the removal followed a review to ensure that interpretive materials align with “accuracy, honesty, and shared national values” and criticized Philadelphia for filing “frivolous lawsuits in the hopes of demeaning our brave Founding Fathers.”
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker addressed the lawsuit at a Friday press conference, emphasizing the cooperative 2006 agreement between the city and the federal government. She stated that any changes to the exhibit require consultation between both parties and promised to keep the public informed as legal proceedings continue.
Through the lawsuit, Philadelphia seeks a court order restoring the slavery memorial, a preliminary injunction to prevent further modifications to the President’s House exhibit, and a permanent injunction to safeguard the memorial against future removals.
Earlier we wrote about Trump’s Board of Peace: who joined, who refused, and why the plan alarms US allies
