A federal judge in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction on Friday, June 13, 2026, ordering the Trump administration to reverse changes made to historical exhibits at national parks, museums, and landmarks across the country. U.S.
District Judge Angel Kelley ruled that the administration's efforts, driven by an executive order titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" signed in March 2025, amounted to an attempt to "rewrite the Nation's history with a white-out pen." The order also halts any further modifications pending the outcome of the lawsuit.
The executive order directed national parks to remove displays that "inappropriately disparage Americans past or living," but Judge Kelley countered that this was a pretext for erasing the true history of the United States. "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," she wrote in her ruling.
The administration has 21 days to restore and reinstall all interpretive materials that were altered, removed, or damaged since May 20, 2025, at sites managed by the National Park Service (NPS). Weekly status reports on progress are also required.
Many of the changes occurred at Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park, where exhibits detailing the lives of nine enslaved people who served under President George Washington in the 1790s were removed. Other alterations included taking down a sign at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in Arizona that featured an image of a visitor holding a Pride flag, and removing films on labor history from Lowell National Historical Park in Massachusetts.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum had directed the removal of "improper partisan ideology" from federally controlled public exhibits. The Interior Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Alan Spears, senior director for cultural resources at the National Parks Conservation Association, one of the plaintiffs, praised the ruling as a protection against efforts "to erase history and science at these one-of-a-kind places." Bill Wade, executive director of the Association of National Park Rangers, another plaintiff, said the decision is especially welcome for park employees who "have prided themselves for being able to provide truthful, accurate and unbiased information." The case highlights ongoing tensions over how American history is presented in public spaces, particularly in regions like Inyo County, California, where the city of Independence is located, though the ruling has nationwide implications.