A federal judge on Monday rebuked the Justice Department after hundreds of trees were cut down at East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, D.C., with little notice, telling government lawyers that they have lost credibility.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes held a nearly four-hour virtual hearing Monday and ordered Kevin Griess, superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks, to testify under oath about what led to the felling of 430 trees at the course, which President Trump wants to overhaul.
Judge’s Frustration Over ‘Intentional Delays’
Reyes accused the Justice Department of intentionally delaying letting the plaintiffs in the court know what was happening
to avoid legal challenges. She told Marissa Piropato, a Justice Department lawyer, I am at a total loss to understand what has happened here other than, Occam's Razor time, that the government intended to do precisely what it has done.
You did your absolute worst.
The controversy stems from the National Park Service’s plan to remove trees at East Potomac, a course President Trump aims to redevelop. The D.C. Preservation League, which filed a lawsuit against the plan, alleged that crews felled all 529 trees on Saturday, including healthy, mature oaks and maples,
according to court papers. The Justice Department admitted in court that 430 trees were cleared over the weekend.
Reyes pressed Kevin Griess, superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks, on why the removals proceeded without prior notice. Griess testified that his tree-management plan, which included removals, was submitted to the head of the National Park Service on Oct. 5 and received approval for the plan the following day. However, the judge questioned why the work moved forward despite a prior pledge. She also criticized the government.
Legal Battle Over Golf Course Overhaul
The dispute centers on Trump’s plan to transform East Potomac, a project the D.C. Preservation League argues violates the National Environmental Policy Act. Lawyers for the group claimed the tree removals constituted an “unprecedentedoperation in the park's 130-year history. The group also criticized the administration for using a seven-year-old Cultural Landscape Report to justify the work, arguing that Mr. Trump's plan to renovate the East Potomac golf course
will require massive tree-clearing.”
The National Park Service defended the tree removals. Griess testified that he submitted a tree-management plan, which included removals, to the head of the National Park Service on Oct. 5 and received approval for the plan the following day. However, Reyes noted that the plan did not include removing 430 trees, which she called unprecedented
.
The plaintiffs accused the Trump administration of skirting its obligations under the law. The Justice Department said that the removals were part of a 2019 plan for dead, dying and hazardous trees. However, Reyes called this explanation further questionable and demanded further clarification.
Unanswered Questions and Upcoming Hearing
Reyes demanded answers about who gave the order to cut the trees and whether the decision was part of a broader effort to evade court oversight. She called for Gregory Wischer, deputy chief of staff at the Interior Department, to answer questions, but Piropato said she could not get in contact with him, and criticized the government. I have done everything humanly possible to give the government the benefit of the doubt in this case. I have done it repeatedly. I have done it for months,
she said.
The judge also questioned why the National Park Service proceeded as it did. Reyes extended a temporary restraining order she had issued earlier Monday barring the government from any further activity at the golf course until at least Tuesday afternoon.
The case remains in flux, with Reyes set to hold another hearing Tuesday to demand answers from Greg Wischer, a political appointee at the Interior Department who has been a point person on many of Trump’s major D.C. beautification projects. For now, the fate of East Potomac’s trees hangs in legal limbo.
The D.C. Preservation League, which filed a lawsuit with two golfers challenging Mr. Trump’s plan to transform East Potomac, said crews had cut down all 529 trees on Saturday alone, including healthy, mature oaks and maples.
They requested an emergency order blocking the National Park Service from removing any more trees after Justice Department lawyers told the preservation group that the tree-removal operation was moving faster than anticipated,
according to court papers.
Trump’s plan to renovate the East Potomac golf course will require massive tree-clearing,
according to the plaintiffs. The administration’s implementation of the plan, they argued, violates the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires federal agencies to assess the environmental impacts of proposed action.
Reyes pressed Piropato on whether the government had followed procedures, noting what had happened. On what universe did anyone in your office think that that was acceptable?
she asked. Piropato responded that the government did its best providing notice, but the judge dismissed this as inadequate.
President Donald Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum tour the East Potomac Park golf course, June 28, 2026, in Washington. During the visit, the president said on his social media platform on this fantastic site, with water and unparalleled views of D.C.’s Monuments, we will build one of the Greatest Golf Courses anywhere in the World which, importantly, will also be made available to the Public.
Department of Interior. Reyes has ordered the government to provide additional information as litigation remains ongoing.