Appeals Court Allows Reinstallation of Panels at Philadelphia Historic Site

A three-judge panel of the U.S. 3rd Circuit of Appeals ruled Friday that the administration can reinstall interpretive panels at the site of George Washington's former Philadelphia home. The signs will stand in the same area where the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776.

The new panels replace displays installed in 2010 that described how nine enslaved people lived at the house with George and Martha Washington during the 1790s.

" The administration has stated in court filings that the replacement panels also discuss slavery. About half of the earlier panels were reinstalled earlier this year before a lower court halted further work.

Friday's ruling allows the government to proceed with installation after the same three-judge panel last month overturned the lower court's order. The government asked the appeals court on Thursday to permit reinstallation "without further delay," saying the panels are ready.

“The President’s House is a site of exceptional importance to Philadelphia and the Nation, developed through years of federal-local collaboration to tell a historically significant and long-suppressed story.”

The City of Philadelphia, which sued over removal of the prior displays, asked the appeals court on Friday to delay reinstallation so it can respond to the government's request. A National Park Service spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about when the panels might be installed.