The Trump administration is arguing that a nearly 50-year-old law requiring the preservation of presidential records is unconstitutional. Historians are taking legal action, warning that the fate of millions of papers and electronic messages is at stake — not only for Trump's second term, but also for future presidents and people who want to understand them.
➡️ The origin of the PRA dates back to July 1974, when the Supreme Court ordered President Richard Nixon to turn over White House recordings. When Nixon left office, Congress passed a law putting Nixon's presidential papers in the custody of the National Archives. In 1978, Congress acted again to apply that law to future presidents.
➡️ Trump's Justice Department says the PRA is unconstitutional because it violates the separation of powers.
➡️ The American Historical Association last week asked a federal judge to block government employees from discarding presidential materials.
➡️ White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a written statement that staff members will receive training on document preservation. However, lawyers for the historical association and watchdog group American Oversight noted that this training seems to exclude the country's top leaders, Trump and Vice President Vance.
➡️ Historians use presidential documents to understand key moments in history, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Columbia University history professor Matthew Connelly questions whether targeting orders and other operations could remain secret forever if Trump's interpretation of the PRA prevails. | 
