A federal judge demanded Tuesday that the Trump administration produce an inventory of every change that’s been made to historical content at national parks as part of the White House’s sweeping effort to reshape how the nation’s past gets told.
The order from U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley could produce the first comprehensive account of what the National Park Service has done over the last year to comply with orders by President Donald Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum criticizing history that downplays American exceptionalism or fixates too much on past sins of national leaders.
Kelley last week issued a freeze on any additional changes at NPS sites as she considers a lawsuit opposing the historical revisions brought by park advocacy groups. She also demanded that NPS reinstate removed historical content within 21 days.
In a court response Monday, the Trump administration said replacing everything that’s been removed at parks would be a “herculean and unmanageable task.”