politics
Appeals Court Pauses Deadline to Restore Park Displays but Leaves Bar on Trump Order in Place
The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday paused a July 3 deadline for reinstalling more than 50 exhibits removed from national parks under a Trump administration directive. The panel left in place a lower court order barring implementation of the underlying executive order.
Jun 23, 7:05 PM·1m read1 source
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A federal appeals court on Tuesday temporarily halted next week’s deadline for the Trump administration to restore dozens of displays removed from national parks. The three-judge panel for the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously agreed to pause part of a lower court order that required all displays to be reinstalled by July 3.
The court left in place District Judge Angel Kelley’s underlying ruling that barred the Interior Department from implementing President Trump’s executive order.
“We intend to rule on the request for a stay pending appeal promptly,” the court wrote. The panel included Chief Judge David Barron, an Obama appointee, and Judges Gustavo Gelpí and Julie Rinkelman, both appointed by former President Joe Biden. A group of park advocacy organizations sued in February seeking to block the administration’s effort.
More than 50 items were removed from various National Park Service sites under Trump’s March 2025 directive, including slavery exhibits at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park and reusable water bottle signs at Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park in South Carolina.
Kelley ruled earlier in June that the federal government set a “dangerous precedent of censorship and sanitization” and ordered the displays restored by July 4. The Trump administration appealed, arguing that it was “impossible” to comply with the timeline.
The coalition of park groups said it was pleased the appeals court left the district court order in place. The appeals court is still weighing the motion for a stay pending appeal.
