On June 12 a federal judge in Massachusetts ordered interpretative signs and other materials in national parks like Glacier National Park that were taken down because the Trump Administration found them offensive to be put back in place or made available to the public.

In the case of Glacier National Park, that included more than 10 items, including several seasons of the park’s popular Headwaters Podcast; signs that talked about the effects of carbon dioxide emissions and climate change on the park’s glaciers; and a sign up the North Fork describing the controversy regarding wolf hunting. 

In addition, a brochure and sign describing the mass slaughter of the Piegan Blackfeet people was also ordered to be removed, by Trump’s order.

The court order, written by Judge Angel Kelley, orders the Park Service to restore the signs to their state prior to the Trump Administration’s order entitled, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” from May of 2025. 

When the Hungry Horse News went to the pull out where the above-mentioned wolf sign once stood along the Camas Road, the stand itself had been unbolted and removed. 

The Trump administration directive often focused on slavery, Indigenous peoples, climate change and other things it found to its dislike, rather than the facts of history. Kelley said it amounted to taking “white out” to history.

For example, one episode of the season six Glacier Park podcast that was taken down from the park’s website talked about conscientious objectors and how they did a lot of work in Glacier during World War II, including building the Heaven’s Peak Lookout. 

Kelley’s ruling came after the National Parks Conservation Association, the  American Association for State and Local History, the Association of Park Rangers, the Coalition to Protect America’s Parks, the Society of Experiential Graphic Designers and the Union of Concerned Scientists filed suit challenging the Trump Administration order. 

“Often referred to as “America’s largest classroom,” National Parks serve in that spirit by telling the stories both of those who write history and those who go unheard. The beauty of history is the unvarnished storytelling of a time gone by and the delivery of undeniable truths. The Government’s stewardship of these park sites thus carries a responsibility to present history in full rather than in favored fragments,” Kelley wrote. “Unfortunately, the Government has disregarded these principles. Under the guise of promoting American dignity, this Administration seeks to share a limited history by ordering the removal of all signs, displays, and interpretive exhibits at National Parks that do not align with its preferred narrative, thereby telling half-truths.”  

She found the Trump Order violated several federal laws, including the Organic Act, which established the Park Service in 1916 and more recently, the 2016 Park Centennial Act, which calls for recognizing diversity in United States history and interpretation. 

Kelley also found the Park Service had a rigorous process for developing and reviewing historical signs and interpretative displays and other communications, like podcasts. 

“... The process for creating these materials, governed by established review and approval procedures, often takes months to years—requiring collaboration and comprehensive evaluation by NPS professionals, historians, scientists, subject matter experts, community advocates, educators, interpretive specialists, experiential graphic designers, and accessibility experts,” Kelley noted, citing the plaintiffs arguments.  

According to an internal NPS database leaked by anonymous civil servants on March 2, 2026, over 500 items have were identified for review and many were taken down nationally. 

 Kelley’s assessment of the Trump Administration’s order was damning. 

“Removal (of the signs and materials) constitutes government-sanctioned erasure and rejection of their histories. It strips the sites of the context that gives them meaning. It degrades the public’s trust in the government, as the Executive Order ignores congressional directives and carelessly razes decades of efforts in the pursuit of its unilateral agenda. These harms are, in all senses of the word, irreparable,” she said. 

In her order, Kelley gave the Park Service and respective units 21 days to put the materials back up or restore their access. Kelley also ordered the Park Service and the Department of Interior to file a report to the court on the progress of restoring the materials. 

The Trump Administration could appeal, however. The Department of Interior, in its defense, basically claimed it was merely following orders. 

“This summer, millions of visitors will flock to America’s national parks to take in breathtaking park landscapes and walk in the footsteps of our fascinating history, 250 years after our nation was founded. Today’s court ruling will help protect national parks from the administration’s unprecedented campaign to erase history and science at these one-of-a-kind places. National parks belong to the American people and censorship of any kind goes against the values these places represent. Americans count on national parks to help us understand our full, rich history. Stories of triumph and tragedy alike deserve to be told out loud at parks.” Alan Spears, National Parks Conservation Association Senior Director for Cultural Resources said in a release.