Key facts
- A U.S. appeals court has temporarily paused a judge's deadline for the National Park Service to reinstall exhibits.
- The exhibits, removed under a Trump directive, covered topics such as slavery and climate change.
- A U.S. District Judge had ordered the exhibits restored by July 3, before the nation's 250th anniversary on July 4.
- The Trump administration argued that reinstalling the exhibits by the deadline would be a "herculean and unmanageable task."
- At least 51 exhibits from 37 sites were removed or discarded following Trump's executive order.
A U.S. appeals court has temporarily halted a deadline for the Trump administration to reinstall dozens of exhibits in national parks that were removed under a directive targeting displays perceived as critical of American history. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals paused a July 3 deadline set by U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley, who had previously ruled that the removals were an unlawful attempt to "rewrite the nation's history."
Judge Kelley had ordered the exhibits, which addressed topics such as slavery and climate change, to be restored before the nation's 250th anniversary on July 4. The Trump administration appealed, arguing that complying with the deadline would be an unmanageable task. The appeals court, however, is still considering the broader request to put Kelley's entire ruling on hold while the appeal proceeds.
Critics accused the Trump administration of attempting to erase historical narratives that did not align with its own. The removed exhibits included one at Independence National Historical Park detailing George Washington's ownership of enslaved people. The National Parks Conservation Association and the American Association for State and Local History, plaintiffs in the case, expressed disappointment with the appeals court's decision to lift the deadline, stating it was a disservice to park visitors and the public.