A federal judge in Massachusetts has ordered the Trump administration to restore all signs, displays, and interpretive exhibits at national parks that were altered or removed under a 2025 executive order. The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley, also blocks any further changes to exhibits at national parks. The administration must complete the restoration by July 3, ahead of the nation's 250th birthday, and provide weekly progress reports.
The lawsuit, filed in February by a coalition of conservationists and advocates, accused the administration of "mounting a sustained campaign to erase history and undermine science." The executive order, titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," directed the Interior Department to remove content that "inappropriately disparage Americans past or living." At least 45 signs were altered, covering topics such as climate change and Native American history.
In her ruling, Judge Kelley wrote that the administration sought 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." The Interior Department criticized the ruling, calling Kelley a "liberal activist judge" and suggesting an appeal. The department also highlighted an upcoming event at the White House to celebrate the nation's 250th anniversary.
The changes affected multiple parks, including the removal of exhibits on enslaved individuals at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park and a sign at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in Arizona.