BOSTON — A federal judge has ordered the U.S. government to restore historical plaques, exhibits and interpretive materials that were removed from national parks and monuments under a Trump administration policy, ruling that the changes likely violated federal requirements governing the National Park Service. The preliminary injunction, issued Friday by U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley in Massachusetts, requires the restoration of materials addressing subjects including slavery, civil rights and climate change, according to court filings and the judge’s order.
The case was brought by several organizations representing park conservationists, historians and scientists, including the National Parks Conservation Association and the American Association for State and Local History. The groups argued that the Interior Department had removed or altered historically significant content as part of an effort to eliminate material deemed inconsistent with the administration’s preferred interpretation of American history.
In her ruling, Kelley wrote that “History cannot be faithfully told while excluding the experiences of communities whose contributions, struggles, and achievements form an important part of our Nation’s story,” according to the court order cited by news organizations. She also said the plaintiffs had shown that the changes appeared intended “to rewrite the Nation’s history with a white-out pen.”
The dispute stems from a March 2025 executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” which directed federal agencies to review exhibits, signs and displays at national parks, museums and monuments. The administration said the policy was intended to remove what it described as partisan or revisionist interpretations of American history.
According to court filings and reports, the affected materials included displays discussing slavery, Indigenous history, labor history and climate science at several national park sites. Advocacy groups argued that removing such information amounted to censorship and deprived visitors of a complete historical record.
The Interior Department criticized the ruling and said it was reviewing its legal options, including a possible appeal. Department officials argued that the administration has authority to determine how federal historical sites present information to the public.
Under the court order, federal officials must restore the removed materials within 21 days and halt additional changes while the litigation proceeds. As of Saturday, no appeal had been announced publicly, and the injunction remained in effect.
