Judge orders Trump to restore park changes at sites
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from altering national park displays and ordered restoration of exhibits removed under an executive order targeting content deemed disparaging.
US District Judge Angel Kelley in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction on Friday halting further changes and mandating the restoration of sites already modified, according to New York Post. The ruling came in response to a February lawsuit filed by conservation and historical organizations challenging National Park Service policies they say have censored accurate historical and scientific content.
Judge Kelley wrote that plaintiffs demonstrated these efforts were designed to rewrite the nation’s history, stating that history cannot be faithfully told while excluding the experiences of communities whose contributions form an important part of America’s story.
The Trump administration must now submit weekly status reports documenting progress on restoring the exhibits. In her ruling, Kelley criticized what she characterized as the administration sharing a limited history by ordering removal of signs, displays and exhibits that do not align with its preferred narrative.
Major Exhibit Removals at Historic Sites
The most significant changes occurred at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park, where the administration removed exhibits detailing the lives of nine individuals enslaved at the site during the 1790s under George Washington, the nation’s first president.
Additional alterations included removing a sign at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in Arizona describing basalt bubbles because it featured an image of a visitor holding a Pride flag. Films on labor history were also removed from the Lowell National Historical Park in Massachusetts.
President Trump signed the executive order last year with the stated goal of restoring truth and sanity to American history at the nation’s museums, parks and landmarks. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum subsequently directed the removal of what he termed improper partisan ideology from museums, monuments, landmarks and other public exhibits under federal control.
Park Advocates Hail Decision
Alan Spears, senior director for cultural resources at the National Parks Conservation Association, one of the plaintiff organizations, said the ruling will help protect national parks from efforts to erase history and science at these unique locations. He emphasized that national parks belong to the American people and that censorship contradicts the values these places represent.
Bill Wade, executive director for the Association of National Park Rangers, another plaintiff organization, called the decision particularly welcome news for National Parks employees who have maintained pride in providing truthful, accurate and unbiased information.
The Interior Department had not responded to requests for comment as of Saturday, as New York Post reports.
With information from New York Post
