A federal appeals court in Boston on Tuesday issued a temporary pause on a district court's order that would have required the National Park Service to reinstall dozens of removed exhibits before the nation's 250th anniversary.
The unanimous three-judge panel of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals set aside U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley's July 3 deadline while it considers an appeal by the Department of Justice. Kelley, sitting in Boston, had directed the restoration of signs and displays that were taken down under a presidential directive aimed at exhibits the administration said "inappropriately disparage Americans past or living." The order was intended to ensure the National Park Service restored the materials in time for the July 4 anniversary.
Kelley, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, had concluded in her June 12 ruling that the displays were removed as part of an unlawful effort to "rewrite the nation's history with a white-out pen." That ruling also enjoined steps by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to implement President Donald Trump's March 2025 executive order, which targeted what the administration described as a "revisionist movement" portraying the United States as "inherently racist, sexist, oppressive or otherwise irredeemably flawed."
The 1st Circuit panel - composed of three judges appointed by Democratic presidents - declined for now to halt Kelley’s primary decision blocking aspects of the executive order. However, the panel said it is still weighing whether the government’s request should stay the entire June 12 ruling while the appeal proceeds and promised to rule "promptly."
The case was brought by plaintiffs including the National Parks Conservation Association and the American Association for State and Local History. They challenged the removals as unlawful and urged the court to order the National Park Service to return the exhibits. In response to the appeals court's temporary lift of the reinstall deadline, the plaintiffs issued a joint statement calling the decision "disappointing."
"The administration’s decision not to reinstall and reinstate censored materials, particularly in advance of our nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary, is a disservice to every park visitor this summer and to the broader American public," the statement said.
The Department of the Interior, which oversees the National Park Service, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kelley's injunction followed the removal or disposal of at least 51 exhibits at 37 park sites that were altered in accordance with the presidential directive. One specific example cited in the litigation was an exhibit at the former U.S. presidential mansion in Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park that described George Washington's ownership of enslaved people.
The Justice Department quickly appealed Kelley's ruling, describing it as judicial overreach and arguing that complying with the district court's July 3 deadline to reinstall all removed exhibits would be a "herculean and unmanageable task." The appeals court's temporary order leaves the question of full compliance and the broader legality of the executive action unresolved while the appellate process continues.
Next steps in the litigation will depend on the 1st Circuit's upcoming decision on whether to pause Kelley’s entire June 12 ruling while the case is appealed. The panel has said it will act promptly, leaving the timeline and ultimate outcome uncertain as July 4 approaches.