Federal Judge Orders Trump Administration to Restore Censored National Park Exhibits on Climate, Slavery, and History

U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction ordering the Trump administration to restore all signs and exhibits in national parks that were altered or removed under Executive Order 14253 ('Restoring Truth and Sanity to the Federal Government'). The order requires restoration by July 4, 2026, and halts further changes. Judge Kelley wrote that the administration's efforts were meant 'to rewrite the Nation's history with a white-out pen.' The censored materials included factual information on climate change, slavery, Indigenous history, and LGBTQ+ topics. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit by conservation and civil rights organizations alleging unlawful censorship and historical revisionism.

"to rewrite the Nation's history with a white-out pen" — U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley's written opinion describing the Trump administration's censorship efforts at national parks