An appeals court on Thursday reaffirmed the National Park Service can’t replace a slavery exhibit that it dismantled earlier this year in Philadelphia until a judge rules on the Trump administration’s authority to strike the installation.
The ruling comes on the heels of the Trump administration this week publishing images of new panels it intends to replace the original exhibit. The new panels downplay the stories of enslaved servants President George Washington brought to Philadelphia.
The exhibit — at Independence National Historical Park in downtown Philadelphia — explores Washington’s relationship to slavery and was removed in January as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to overhaul how national parks present U.S. history.
Philadelphia sued to block the exhibit changes, and a federal judge ordered the exhibit restored until a final ruling was made. The park service begin restoring the panels in February.
