A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore signs and exhibits addressing slavery, climate change and other historical topics at national parks and monuments across the country after finding their removal likely violated federal law.
U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley issued a preliminary injunction directing the U.S. Department of the Interior to reinstall the displays within 21 days. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by organizations representing historians, scientists and park conservation advocates who argued the administration was attempting to erase important American history.
Kelley said the removal of exhibits discussing slavery and other subjects undermined the educational mission and historical integrity of the National Park Service.
“Removing these signs not only undermines the integrity of the National Parks; it sets a dangerous precedent of censorship and sanitization,” Kelley wrote in her decision.
The judge ordered the exhibits restored ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations, saying the sites should properly reflect the full scope of American history.
The lawsuit was brought by the National Parks Conservation Association, the American Association for State and Local History and several other organizations. The groups argued the Interior Department had engaged in a broad effort to remove or alter interpretive materials that did not align with the administration’s preferred historical narrative.
The dispute stems from an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in March 2025 targeting what the administration described as a “revisionist movement” that portrays the United States as fundamentally racist, sexist or oppressive. The order directed federal agencies to review and revise exhibits, monuments and memorials to eliminate what the White House characterized as inaccurate interpretations of history.Plaintiffs argued the Interior Department’s actions violated congressional mandates governing the operation of more than 430 National Park Service sites and lacked a lawful explanation for removing exhibits related to slavery, race and climate science.
The Interior Department has maintained that its review was intended to ensure national parks present what it calls the “full and accurate story of American history.”Attorneys representing the plaintiffs and officials with the Interior Department did not immediately comment following the ruling.The case is one of several legal challenges involving efforts by the Trump administration to reshape how American history is presented at federally managed cultural and historical sites.
