Philadelphia sues US Department of the Interior and National Park Service over removal of slavery exhibit

Philadelphia has sued the US Department of the Interior and the National Park Service (NPS) over the removal of a slavery-related exhibit at the President’s House site in Independence National Historical Park. The exhibit, titled “The President’s House: Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation,” memorialized nine people enslaved by George Washington during his presidency in Philadelphia and was removed around 22 January after a planned date of 17 September 2025, according to Courthouse News. The city’s complaint, filed 22 January in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, argues the NPS lacked authority to remove or alter the display without city approval under a 2006 agreement. The suit names Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and acting NPS director Jessica Bowron as defendants, and The Art Newspaper reported the story on 28 January 2026.

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