Judge Orders Trump Admin to Restore National Park Exhibits

A federal judge in Massachusetts ordered the Trump administration on Friday to reverse changes made to National Parks, museums, and landmarks that removed elements the White House deemed unflattering to American history. US District Judge Angel Kelley ruled the administration must restore the exhibits within 21 days.

Trump signed an executive order in March 2025 directing the Interior Department to remove displays that "inappropriately disparage Americans past or living." The order called for a focus on "the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people."

The result, according to The Associated Press, was the removal or censoring of dozens of exhibits covering slavery and climate change. At Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park, the administration pulled exhibits on nine people enslaved under George Washington in the 1790s. At Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in Arizona, a sign describing basalt bubbles was removed because it included an image of a visitor holding a Pride flag. Films on labor history were taken down from the Lowell National Historical Park in Massachusetts.

Kelley, appointed by former President Joe Biden, wrote that the executive order was meant "to rewrite the Nation's history with a white-out pen." She added that history "cannot be faithfully told while excluding the experiences of communities whose contributions, struggles, and achievements form an important part of our Nation's story."