A federal judge has blocked former President Trump’s attempt to revise historical narratives at U.S. museums, parks, and landmarks. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction to halt changes previously implemented and stop new alterations. The judge asserted that these efforts aimed to ‘rewrite the Nation’s history with a white-out pen.’
The injunction responds to an executive order from March 2025 titled ‘Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,’ which mandated national parks to remove elements that allegedly disparaged Americans. However, Judge Kelley indicated that this order served as a pretext to erase authentic history.
Kelley emphasized the importance of comprehensive historical accounts, including diverse community experiences that contribute significantly to the nation’s narrative. The administration is required to submit weekly progress reports on restoring altered displays and exhibits by May 20, 2025.
Exhibits on slavery at the President’s House Site in Independence National Historical Park and other historical materials were among those affected. The changes involved removing signs and panels depicting significant historical events and figures.
The ruling followed a lawsuit from February by conservation and historical groups challenging policies to censor or remove accurate historical and scientific information. Numerous deletions had occurred at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park, where exhibits about individuals enslaved during George Washington’s presidency were removed.
Additional modifications included removing references to geological phenomena at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument due to an image showing a Pride flag and omitting labor history films at Lowell National Historical Park.
Alan Spears from the National Parks Conservation Association, part of the lawsuit, stated the ruling protects U.S. parks from efforts to erase history and science. Bill Wade from the Association of National Park Rangers expressed relief for park employees dedicated to sharing truthful, unbiased information.