Court Ruling Allows National Parks to Remove Certain Exhibits

A federal appeals court has granted the Trump administration permission to continue removing specific signs and exhibits about slavery, climate change, and related topics from national parks. This decision overturns a prior ruling that prevented the National Park Service from eliminating such material under President Trump’s directive.

The directive, named “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” calls for the removal of displays deemed “negative” by the president. It insists that materials focus on the achievements of Americans and the beauty of the American landscape. The National Park Service, following this order, has taken down plaques about slavery at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, a climate change sign at Fort Sumter in South Carolina, and a sign regarding Indigenous peoples at Acadia National Park in Maine.

Last month, Judge Angel Kelley of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled against further removals and instructed the Park Service to restore any altered or dismantled exhibits. Judge Kelley emphasized the educational value of national parks in presenting America’s complex history, highlighting contributions by marginalized groups.

However, a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, led by Chief Judge David J. Barron, decided that the directive was unlikely to cause “irreparable harm” to the plaintiffs, which include organizations like the National Parks Conservation Association. Consequently, the Park Service can continue removing materials while the court deliberates on the directive’s legality.

Brooke Menschel, senior counsel at Democracy Forward, described the decision as a “temporary procedural setback,” expressing concern about the removals as many Americans plan to visit parks during the upcoming semiquincentennial weekend. No immediate comment was available from the Interior Department, which oversees the Park Service.