BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS — A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to reinstate 51 exhibits removed from 38 national park sites by July 3. The National Parks Conservation Association and the Association of National Park Rangers filed a lawsuit in February challenging the exhibit removals as violations of federal law.

United States District Judge Angel Kelley issued a preliminary injunction that also requires the administration to submit weekly progress reports regarding exhibit modifications. The National Park Service removed 51 exhibits under an executive order directing the Interior Department to modify displays that negatively portray American history.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum directed park administrators to remove exhibits deemed to contain partisan ideology. An exhibit describing George Washington's ownership of enslaved individuals was removed from Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia. Materials describing climate change were removed from Fort Sumter, the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, and Acadia National Park.

A sign explaining basalt formations was removed from Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in Arizona. Films documenting labor history were removed from Lowell National Historical Park. An internal National Park Service database identified more than 500 exhibits for potential removal review.

Judge Kelley wrote, "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 court filing noted that the administration also removed six exhibits from an additional park under a separate executive order.

The administration requested a suspension of the reinstatement deadline pending an appeal, citing logistical constraints. A National Park Service official stated in a filing that the submitted inventory represents a partial list and identified removals remain incomplete. Alan Spears, a senior cultural resources director, said, "National parks belong to the American people and censorship of any kind goes against the values these places represent."