Bush-appointed judge invokes dystopian novel to rule in defeat, Trump administration suffers President’s Day defeat 1984.
U.S. District Judge Cynthia Roof ruled on Monday that an exhibit about the Nine Men enslaved by George Washington should be restored after the Trump administration ordered its removal last month.
The National Park Service removed the exhibit from Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia in response to Trump’s executive order aimed at “restoring truth and sanity to American history.” The order directs the Interior Department to ensure that the nation’s museums, parks and landmarks do not display anything that “unduly demeans Americans past or present.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House and National Park Service for comment.
News cameras and bystanders documented crews dismantling the exhibits late last month, with one park employee reportedly telling the Philadelphia Inquirer, “I was just following my orders.”
The exhibit is located at the Presidential Palace in Philadelphia, where George and Martha Washington lived during Philadelphia’s brief tenure as the nation’s capital, as well as the nine people who were enslaved by the couple.
Roof ruled that all materials must be restored to their original condition while a lawsuit filed by Philadelphia Mayor Cherel Parker challenging the legality of the demolition is underway.
The Presidential Palace in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania hosts an exhibit discussing slavery and the Founding Fathers’ ownership of slaves. /Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images
Trump’s executive order issued on March 27, 2025, titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity in American History,” stated, “Over the past decade, Americans have witnessed a concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our nation’s history, replacing objective facts with distorted narratives driven by ideology rather than truth.”
“This revisionist movement seeks to undermine America’s excellence by negatively casting its founding principles and historical milestones.”
The exhibit was removed by executive order. /Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images
Roofe referenced George Orwell’s 1984, wrote, “Just as the Ministry of Truth from George Orwell’s 1984, with its motto ‘Ignorance is strength,’ now exists, this court is now being asked to determine whether the federal government has the power it claims to dismantle and dismantle historical truth when it has some jurisdiction over it.”
“That’s not the case.”
The Trump administration has sought to whitewash the history of several historic sites across the country, including last week removing a Pride flag from Stonewall National Monument in New York City and removing transgender references to the monument from the National Park Service website.
The Trump administration is trying to rewrite LGBTQ+ history by ordering changes to Stonewall National Monument, including removing the Pride flag. /Spencer Pratt/Getty Images
Exhibits at Grand Canyon National Park about the dispossession and mistreatment of Native Americans were also removed, and roadside exhibits about climate change, pollution and mining were flagged for possible removal.
Kristen Brengle, senior vice president of government affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association, told The Washington Post that the White House’s efforts should “offend every American.”
“We have the ability to hear our tragedies and triumphs, and this systematic erasure should concern everyone in our country.”
MS NOW’s Rachel Maddow celebrated the ruling on her show Monday night, quoting extensively from the ruling, noting that Roof was appointed by Republican President George W. Bush and telling viewers, “Happy Presidents’ Day, Philadelphia. A court order from the President’s office will restore your history.”