Judge orders restoration of National Park changes made by Trump administration

By — Hallie Golden, Associated Press Hallie Golden, Associated Press By — Kimberlee Kruesi, Associated Press Kimberlee Kruesi, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/judge-orders-restoration-of-national-park-changes-made-by-trump-administration Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Judge orders restoration of National Park changes made by Trump administration Nation Jun 13, 2026 1:07 PM EDT A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to restore sites changed under an executive order calling for the nation's museums, parks and landmarks to not display elements that "inappropriately disparage Americans past or living." The preliminary injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley in Massachusetts also orders a pause on any additional changes, writing that the plaintiffs have shown that these efforts are meant "to rewrite the Nation's history with a white-out pen." READ MORE: Slavery exhibit returns to Philadelphia's Independence Mall after Trump administration ordered its removal "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," the judge wrote. The Trump administration must also provide a status report every week describing the progress they've made with these changes, the judge wrote. "Under the guise of promoting American dignity, this Administration seeks 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," Kelley wrote. The order comes in response to a February lawsuit filed by conservation and historical organizations over National Park Service policies that the groups say have forced park service staff to remove or censor dozens of exhibits that share factually accurate and relevant U.S. history and scientific knowledge, including about slavery and climate change. READ MORE: Trump administration agrees to return Pride flag to Stonewall National Monument in New York Many of the changes were at Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park, where the administration removed exhibits on the lives of nine people enslaved at the site in the 1790s under George Washington, the first U.S. president. Other changes included removing a sign at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in Arizona describing basalt bubbles because it had an image of a visitor holding a Pride flag while films on labor history were removed from the Lowell National Historical Park in Massachusetts. President Donald Trump signed the executive order "restoring truth and sanity to American history" at the nation's museums, parks and landmarks last year. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum later directed removal of "improper partisan ideology" from museums, monuments, landmarks and other public e