Judge Calls DOJ's Statements On Slavery Exhibit Display 'Dangerous' And 'Horrifying'
Source: Huff Post/AP
Jan 30, 2026, 06:36 PM EST
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A federal judge warned Justice Department lawyers on Friday that they were making “dangerous” and “horrifying” statements when they said the Trump Administration can decide what part of American history to display at National Park Service sites. The sharp exchange erupted during a hearing in Philadelphia over the abrupt removal of an exhibit on the history of slavery at the site of the former President’s House on Independence Mall.
The city, which worked in tandem with the park service on the exhibit two decades ago, was stunned to find workers this month using crowbars to remove outdoor plaques, panels and other materials that told the stories of the nine people who had been enslaved there. Some of the history had only been unearthed in the past quarter-century. “You can’t erase history once you’ve learned it. It doesn’t work that way,” said Senior U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe, an appointee of President George W. Bush.
The removal followed President Donald Trump’s executive order “restoring truth and sanity to American history” at the nation’s museums, parks and landmarks. In Philadelphia, the materials were put in a pickup truck and then into storage, leading Rufe to voice concerns about whether they were damaged. “Although many people feel strongly about this (exhibit) one way, other people may disagree or feel strongly another way,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory in den Berken. “Ultimately,” he said, “the government gets to choose the message it wants to convey.”
Rufe swiftly cut him off. “That is a dangerous statement you are making. It is horrifying to listen to,” she said. “It changes on the whims of someone in charge? I’m sorry, that is not what we elected anybody for.”
Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/judge-calls-dojs-slavery-exhibit-comments-dangerous_n_697d3eb1e4b0b1de95c1c9e5?origin=home-latest-news-unit
This is a big story locally here in Philly. This was a Shrub judge and she is scheduled to actually visit the site and storage area Monday to see what was removed and the condition of those items after removal.
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and literally drove by it every day to/from work. I watched the transformation of that entire area before they built the current "Liberty Bell Center" that is just behind it, and even the "Independence Visitor's Center", just across the street. My agency actually had a recruiting event where that Center (that was opened in 2011) is now, and we did that back in the '80s.
Before they constructed that brick framework memorial to designate the President's House, they did a big archeological dig back in 2007 and what they found was so remarkable - including the presence of the basement "slave passages" and "slave quarters" - that this was what triggered the project to tell their stories.
What was even wilder is that as they were digging, there was so much tourist interest in the dig, that they ended up installing a "viewing stand" so that people could look down and watch what was being uncovered.
They mapped out the rooms as well -
They found a way to cover it over for the winters before the construction of the framework exhibit and would eventually include a portion of the excavation as part of that exhibit, that showed some of what had been discovered.
I do know that at the time of the opening, the-then NPS Regional Director (I think a leftover Shrub appointee) refused to allow the historical display that memorialized George Washington's 9 enslaved workers, and she was eventually pressured into having it installed.
So there is definitely a lot of drama around this whole thing. There were papers written about it too like this -
Redefining the "Cradle of Liberty": The President’s House Controversy in Independence National Historical Park
Thank you so much for posting this. The pictures make the whole story come alive. They explain so much of what I was wondering about as I read the story.
so before direct deposits (when the boss handed us our checks from a safe every other Friday), I would walk past that whole area to go deposit my check.
It has changed a lot even since the Bicentennial, when the Liberty Bell was in its own plexiglass pavillion because there were too many tourists trying to see it in Independence Hall and it was just too constricting and the constant handling/touching was taking its toll on it.
JFK when it was in Independence Hall
Moved into this at midnight January 1st, 1976 (during a sleet storm and it got another small crack and had to be repaired 
)
When they opened the new "Liberty Bell Center", GSA tried to sell the old pavilion and it took forever to find a buyer (because the contract required that they dismantle it too). They did find one and here is when it was taken apart -
Now the Liberty Bell sits in its own place behind the President's House -
Thanks so much for sharing this, BRDS. ❤️
Link to tweet
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🧵 Democrats in Philadelphia and across PA are stepping up to protect our communities in response to dangerous and reckless ICE tactics nationwide. What we’re seeing should alarm anyone who believes in the rule of law and basic human dignity. (1/4)
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ICE tactics in Minneapolis set off political firestorm from Philadelphia City Hall to Washington
A chorus of Democrats and activists said ICE needs to be controlled, and local leaders said they are laying out plans in case a surge of immigration enforcement comes to Philadelphia.
10:23 PM · Jan 27, 2026
and some idiotic memory from almost 60 years ago at the old Franklin Field where the Eagles played (when they were still doing the planning and construction of what would be Veteran's Stadium, that has since been torn down) of people throwing snowballs at a "volunteer Santa" who was trying to help when the guy scheduled to do that role, couldn't get there on time due to a snowstorm going on before and during the game...
RATHER THAN
being the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence, the first U.S. Capital, and where the U.S. Constitution was drafted and ratified.
Right now, you can ask a random person on the street about where all of that historical stuff happened and their response would be "Boston" or "Washington D.C.". I worked in that area and heard it coming from the mouths of tourists every damn day. 
economic, civics and on and on and on. It seem to be primarily an American thing. Though our cousins will argue the average Brit is about as informed and educated as a fence post. Compared to our peers, overall we're fucking morons. Hate to say it, but it's true. Didn't know about Philadelphia's role in the founding? Sheesh!! 
Reminds me of my wife telling me a decade ago that one of the admin support staff where she taught nursing students admitted to never reading a single book since high school. Not one. I'm still not sure what to make of that. 
Pick an American at random. Odds are very high that they know little that's true about anything, are filled with misconceptions, yet have strong opinions on damn near everything and will tell you whether you want to hear it or not. The definition of fools. We can do better. Luckily some of us do or we would literally be Idiocracy.
we get many people literally driving here (some even coming in cabs) to get "expedited" passports because those other cities are always so booked up. So when they are waiting for their appointment or to pick up their passport, they would go wandering around looking at stuff (the State Department has offices in the Olde City/Historic neighborhood). And whenever me and my coworkers were out in the area at lunch, we would run into these folks, and it was mind-boggling.
I would be like - "But Independence Hall is literally right there a block down the street", and I'd get a blank look and "Ohh". They have seen a million pictures of it but they just didn't connect that the building they were staring at WAS THE REAL THING!!
The actual President's House (mansion) was originally in this empty lot -
All of those old (19th/early 20th century) buildings are gone.
I think the only "older" building still standing (on 5th Street) is the Bourse (built in the 1890s and was used as a Commodities Exchange until the '60s - now it's a food court) -
over and over and over. It's about 6 blocks from the Delaware River and even that river front area there, dubbed "Penn's Landing", was transformed multiple times, including during the '70s, when they finally ran I-95 along the river....It is undergoing yet another transformation, to cover ( "cap" ) over I-95 there to make it easier to access the river.
The clock tower to Independence Hall is sortof visible in the below, among the patch of trees to the right of those 3 towers (Society Hill Towers that are $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ condos), in the center of the image -
The hearing was yesterday -
They haven't started taking a chisel to the names of these enslaved servants carved in the concrete though... yet -
Having watched the videos in this post, I am impressed with the leadership of the people calling this out and fighting back with a lawsuit. I think they will win and the plaques will go back. I was also impressed with Judge Rufe, who is actually going to look at the plaques and see if they were damaged in their removal!! Yes, you heard it right: she's going herself to assess this.
Talk about taking a bull by the horns!
What a terrific judge. Here's a pic of her and a paragraph about her from her Wiki page:
snip
Following law school graduation, Rufe served as a public defender in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, spending much of her tenure there in the juvenile division. She became a deputy public defender in 1980. Soon thereafter, she left government service to practice privately. She practiced in her own firm for 11 years, gaining prominence in the local legal community. In 1994, she was elected as a judge of the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas, where she served for eight years, until 2002.
snip
I am always impressed when I see a judge has spent time as a public defender. That means they know about a legal system that pays scant attention to the rights of those who cannot afford attorneys.
on edit: I watched the first video for a second time. It looks like the plaques are metal as they seemed to bend when pulled off the wall. I have high hopes they will be OK, although it was said that they tossed them in the back of a vehicle, so they may have become scratched. If so, that's somewhat easy to repair. Paint matching might be the biggest problem.
