A federal judge in Massachusetts has ordered the Trump administration to restore all signs that were changed or removed at national parks across the country. The ruling targets changes made under a March 2025 executive order and says the restoration must be finished by July 3.
Judge Angel Kelley also blocked the administration from making any further changes to exhibits at national parks. In her 63-page ruling, she said the government was sharing “a limited history” and “telling half-truths” by removing signs and interpretive exhibits that did not match its preferred narrative.
What the ruling covers
The order came in a lawsuit filed in February by a coalition of conservationists and advocates against the Interior Department and the National Park Service. The groups accused the administration of “mounting a sustained campaign to erase history and undermine science.”
At least 45 signs were altered under the directive, according to Save Our Signs, an advocacy group that tracks changes to National Park Service displays. The changes covered topics ranging from climate change to Native American history.
Examples cited in the case
One example involved a marker at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming that said 19th century explorer Gustavus Cheyney Doane played a role in the massacre of at least 173 members of the Piegan Blackfeet. That marker was removed.
Another example came from South Carolina’s Fort Sumter National Monument, where a sign about climate change and the risk that “rising seas could inundate most of the fort’s walls and flood the historic parade ground” was removed entirely.
Reaction from both sides
An Interior Department spokesperson called Kelley “a liberal activist judge” and said the department could appeal the ruling. The spokesperson also said the department would look at its appeal options while celebrating “UFC Freedom 250” on the South Lawn of the White House this weekend.
Alan Spears, senior director for cultural resources at the National Parks Conservation Association, called the ruling a “big damn deal” and said it would temporarily stop the “sanitization, censorship and softening of history” in national parks.
Kelley also emphasized the educational role of the park system, calling national parks “a cornerstone of public learning.” She wrote that they serve as “America’s largest classroom” by telling the stories of both people who wrote history and those who were unheard.
The judge said the government has a responsibility to present history “in full rather than in favored fragments.” For now, the order requires the administration to restore the altered signs and stop further changes while the legal fight continues.
