Judge Blocks Removal of Park Exhibits Under Trump Order

A federal judge temporarily halted the National Park Service from removing or revising exhibits at national parks due to a directive from President Trump. This decision accuses the administration of censorship.

The order from Judge Angel Kelley of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts pauses enforcement of an executive directive that aimed to eliminate or conceal park materials deemed as portraying Americans negatively or presenting the nation unfavorably.

Judge Kelley also mandated that the Park Service restore dismantled or altered exhibits within three weeks. This ruling offers temporary relief for the plaintiffs, a coalition of advocacy groups challenging the executive order through ongoing litigation.

In compliance with the directive, the Park Service had previously removed plaques on slavery at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, a sign on climate change at Fort Sumter in South Carolina, and a sign about Indigenous people at Acadia National Park in Maine.

In a related move, another federal judge ordered the Park Service to refrain from making further changes to the slavery exhibition at Independence National Historical Park while assessing a different lawsuit filed by Philadelphia.