ethan.brook News Editor
A federal judge has issued a 70-page preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from making further alterations to the historic East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, D.C., while a lawsuit challenging the redevelopment plan proceeds, according to CBS News.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes prohibited the government from removing or damaging any trees on the municipal course and required ten days’ notice before any irreparable modifications are made, as reported by the BBC. The order follows weeks of contentious hearings and court filings after hundreds of trees were felled at the property over a holiday weekend, triggering a clash between the judiciary and the executive branch over the administration’s plans to overhaul the publicly owned course into a championship-level venue.
Excited to unveil the design for the East Potomac Golf Links renovation from Fazio Design. Like iconic public courses of Bethpage Black & Torrey Pines, East Potomac will offer locals—of the National Capital Region—championship-quality golf at affordable, highly discounted… pic.twitter.com/foLZAAcsj3
Judge Reyes Intervenes After Government Violates Court Assurances
Judge Reyes stated in her ruling that she was initially reluctant to intervene in the litigation, writing that she would prefer not to resolve what she termed Lorax v. Once‑ler redux,
a reference to an earlier hearing where she invoked the Dr. Seuss character to explain her initial refusal to micromanage federal tree management, according to CBS News. However, she intervened after the government carried out tree removals that she found violated assurances given to the court.
Friction escalated when President Trump published a post on Truth Social indicating that the course would close on November 15 for construction, directly contradicting representations made by government lawyers in briefs opposing the preliminary injunction, according to NPR and Lawfare.
I missed the part of the Constitutional Convention that put federal judges in charge of golf course maintenance. The Left is endlessly enraged that, after allowing DC to decay for decades, the Trump Administration is making it safe, clean and beautiful. https://t.co/N9ccnAYD8c
Judge Reyes Orders DOJ Official to Appear in Person
In response to the social media post, Judge Reyes took judicial notice of the statements and gave the government roughly 24 hours to clarify whether a closure plan existed for mid-November and how it could be reconciled with prior statements made to the court, as detailed by NPR.
The judge also ordered Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. — serving as a DOJ official in the case — to appear in person at an upcoming status hearing, a development Talking Points Memo described as extraordinary for a high-ranking official to handle personally. The hearing was recast as a broader show-cause proceeding to examine whether the government maintained its position that no final agency action occurred, alongside the timeline of directives issued by the president to close the park.
President Trump criticized the ruling as unconstitutional on Truth Social, asserting that the project is totally 'as of right'
and arguing that the administration would move forward with closing the course on November 15, according to CBS News. Meanwhile, the administration has formally notified the court of its intention to appeal the preliminary injunction ruling, as reported by the BBC.
Trump says they plan to appeal https://t.co/VcxE6LVisL pic.twitter.com/hKRb3eGlmv
More on Ana Reyes
Judge: Someone at Dept of Interior must've thought how much this would cost?Attorney: That's "deliberative"Judge: Does Dept of Interior NOT want the American people to know how much this will cost
ALERT (more): Judge Reyes is appointing a special master to probe Trump Administration's statements to court about East Potomac Park golf course Investigation will be launched in days