Appeals Courts Favor Trump in National Park Exhibit Disputes

Federal appeals courts have issued rulings favoring the Donald Trump administration's efforts to remove and replace interpretive materials at national parks and historic sites. These actions stem from a March 2025 executive order prohibiting displays that "inappropriately disparage Americans past or living" or present "improper partisan ideology."

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stayed a lower court order that had required the National Park Service to reinstall dozens of exhibits on climate change and slavery. District Judge Angel Kelley had previously described the removals as an unlawful attempt to "rewrite the nation's history with a white-out pen," but the appeals court ruled that plaintiffs—including historians and conservationists—failed to demonstrate irreparable harm. To date, at least 51 exhibits across 37 sites have been removed, including climate signage at Acadia National Park.

Separately, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the administration may immediately replace slavery-related panels at the President's House site in Philadelphia. The new materials replace a 2010 exhibit detailing enslaved people who lived with George Washington. While the replacement panels still address slavery, they omit specific details such as slave trade route maps and the headline "The Dirty Business of Slavery." The City of Philadelphia appealed the mandate, arguing the government was granted the motion without giving the city sufficient time to respond.