Federal judge orders Trump administration to restore national park exhibits on slavery and climate

A federal judge in Massachusetts ordered the Trump administration to restore historical exhibits and materials at national parks that highlighted slavery and climate change after they were removed under a directive targeting displays deemed disparaging to America. U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley issued a preliminary injunction Friday requiring the administration to reverse the changes and pause any further removals amid ongoing legal challenges. The decision comes as the nation prepares for America 250 celebrations, with the main event scheduled for July 4.

The Interior Department responded by calling Kelley a “liberal activist judge” and announced it was reviewing options to appeal the removal of what Secretary Doug Burgum described as “improper partisan ideology.” The department maintains that the changes were necessary to correct what it views as biased historical presentations introduced during the previous administration.

Executive order aimed to restore American heritage at monuments

President Trump signed an executive order on March 27, 2025, titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” which sought to restore American heritage to national parks and monuments. The order stated that these sites had been “changed to perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history” following the race riots of 2020. Trump directed the Interior Department to take action to ensure that all U.S. government descriptions and depictions do not “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living” and instead focus on “the greatness” of America.

The administration argued that the previous exhibits promoted a skewed version of American history that unfairly criticized the nation’s founders and historical figures. Secretary Burgum emphasized that his department was working to remove what he characterized as political ideology from educational materials at federal sites. The directive applied to all museums, monuments, landmarks and other public exhibits under federal control.

Removed materials included slavery and climate change references

Among the materials removed were an exhibit at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park that described George Washington’s ownership of enslaved people. The first president’s role as a slaveholder had been documented in historical displays, but these were taken down following the executive order. Additionally, signage detailing climate threats at Fort Sumter in South Carolina was removed from public view.

Other changes included the removal of a sign at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in Arizona that featured an image of a visitor holding a Pride flag. Films about labor history at Lowell National Historical Park in Massachusetts were also taken down. The administration defended these actions as necessary to present a more balanced view of American history that emphasizes national achievements.

Judge rules changes represent censorship and historical sanitization

Judge Kelley wrote in her ruling that the plaintiffs had demonstrated the administration’s actions were meant “to rewrite the Nation’s history with a white-out pen.” She argued that removing references to slavery and other controversial aspects of American history set a “dangerous precedent of censorship and sanitization.” The judge emphasized that presenting only positive aspects of history while ignoring difficult truths does not serve educational purposes.

The ruling stated that “under the guise of promoting American dignity, this administration seeks to share a limited history by ordering the removal of all signs, displays, and interpretive exhibits at National Parks that do not align with its preferred narrative, thereby telling half-truths.” Kelley ordered the administration to file weekly status reports detailing its progress in restoring the affected materials to ensure compliance with the injunction.

Administration defends cleanup of previous policies

Secretary Burgum told media outlets that his department inherited “a complete mess from the Biden administration” and was working to clean it up. He stated that the previous administration had been promoting “everything from climate extremism to DEI, ESG, you name it” in opposition to what American voters supported in the election. The secretary emphasized that the changes were part of fulfilling President Trump’s campaign promises to the American people.

The Interior Department maintained that the exhibits removed were examples of partisan ideology that had been inappropriately introduced into educational materials at national sites. Officials argued that federal parks and monuments should present American history in a way that inspires patriotism and national pride rather than focusing on negative aspects of the past. The administration indicated it would continue reviewing options for appealing the judge’s decision while complying with the immediate requirements of the injunction.