Background
The City of Philadelphia sued the Secretary of the Interior and the National Park Service after the Secretary ordered the removal of exhibits from the President’s House site within Independence National Historical Park. The City had previously obtained a preliminary injunction requiring the re-installation of these exhibits. The dispute centers on the interpretation of federal statutes and cooperative agreements dating back to 1943 and 1950, which govern the management of the park and the specific exhibit commemorating enslaved people who lived at the President’s House.
The court’s reasoning
The Court determined that the District Court did not have jurisdiction over Counts Two through Five of the City’s complaint. Consequently, the appellate court vacated the preliminary injunction entered by the District Court and remanded the case with instructions to dismiss those specific counts.
What it means going forward
The National Park Service is no longer bound by the preliminary injunction to re-install the exhibits pending further proceedings, and the District Court must dismiss the counts over which it lacked jurisdiction.