Judge Orders Restoration of President’s House Site in Philadelphia As Doug Burgum’s Censorship Campaign Faces New Lawsuit

Judge Condemns Burgum’s Orwellian Censorship and Orders the Return of Education Materials on History of Slavery As Another Coalition Files Suit

HELENA, MT – Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s campaign of mass censorship across the country just suffered a major loss in Philadelphia. On Presidents’ Day, U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ordered Burgum’s National Park Service to restore educational materials on slavery to the President’s House Site, which is part of Independence National Historical Park. “Each person who visits the President’s House and does not learn of the realities of founding-era slavery receives a false account of this country’s history,” Rufe wrote. Burgum, the named defendant in the lawsuit, was called out throughout the judge’s order after assuming the role as this administration’s top censorship czar carrying out Trump’s revisionist history directive. 

Burgum’s censorship campaign was just challenged by another coalition of groups committed to protecting America’s national parks, preserving and sharing history, promoting scientific literacy and access, and providing high-quality interpretive materials. Burgum’s troubled tenure at Interior has been marked by the ongoing censorship campaign — an overt attempt to silence and erase American history without congressional authority and contrary to the law. He has ordered signs and exhibits about climate change, slavery, Black history, Indigenous history, and LGBTQ+ history to be removed from public lands and parks nationwide. 

“Doug Burgum’s mass censorship campaign was rightfully rejected and called out for what it is: Orwellian, un-American, and illegal,” said Save Our Parks spokesperson Jayson O’Neill. “Instead of visitors learning about America’s outdoors, science, and history, Burgum is attempting to turn our parks and public lands into Trump’s personal propaganda tools in an attempt to create a whitewashed version of our history. Wasting taxpayer dollars and government resources to erase our history isn’t part of what makes America great.”

The ruling follows Burgum’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad last week, where the unpopular and controversial secretary’s carefully curated image crumbled. Burgum’s censorship campaign wasn’t the only controversy facing the conflicted cabinet member. 

Former park directors are calling out the devastating brian drain undermining America’s cherished national parks after Burgum and DOGE fired nearly a quarter of park employees and the continued chaos impacting park visitors, causing real economic consequences for gateway communities. Questions are also swirling around the unqualified national parks director nominee, the White House ballroom, BLM nominee Selloff Steve Pearce’s and other hired cronies’ inadequate ethics agreements, and Burgum’s outright lies on energy. 

To speak with Save Our Parks spokesperson Jayson O’Neill, email jayson@focalpointstrategygroup.com. 

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