A US federal court has blocked President Donald Trump's "history censorship" executive order. The court ordered a temporary suspension of the executive order, which had directed the removal of slavery-related materials from national parks.
According to The New York Times, the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts temporarily halted enforcement of the executive order Thursday. At the same time, it ordered the National Park Service (NPS) to restore exhibits that had already been dismantled or removed within three weeks.
Trump signed the executive order in March last year, calling for the removal of "exhibits containing ideology that disparages historical figures." In response, the NPS removed a slavery plaque at Independence Park in Philadelphia. A climate change sign at Fort Sumter in South Carolina and an Indigenous peoples sign at Acadia Park in Maine also disappeared.
Judge Angel Kelley, appointed by former President Joe Biden, offered sharp criticism in her ruling. She said the order "undermines the authenticity of national parks and sets a dangerous precedent of censorship and glorification."
According to a copy of an email obtained by the NYT, an NPS official instructed regional supervisors to halt implementation of the executive order immediately after the ruling.
The Department of the Interior is reviewing an appeal. Spokeswoman Katie Martin said the department would not accept the ruling.
By contrast, the National Parks Conservation Association, which filed the lawsuit, welcomed the ruling. President Emily Thompson stressed, "National parks are not propaganda tools" and "should not be used for partisan purposes."
