U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes barred the Trump administration from removing further trees at Washington’s East Potomac Park without a court order, issuing a 70-page preliminary injunction that rebukes federal claims and mandates a 10-day notice for any future irreversible modifications to the historic public golf course.
A federal court battle over the future of Washington, D.C.’s publicly owned East Potomac Park golf course escalated significantly when U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes delivered a sweeping ruling halting unauthorized tree clearing. The decision acts as a direct counterweight to President Donald Trump’s stated desire to redo the public layout into an exclusive championship-style facility.
This morning, a federal judge ordered a stop. Trump's administration must get court approval before cutting down more than 10 trees — with "serious consequences" for any effort to circumvent the court.Public land belongs to the people, NOT the president.https://t.co/87WzpzRigz https://t.co/brEG6rLH2h
Judge Reyes Blasts Government Bad Faith After Columbus Day Tree Felling
The legal dispute intensified after National Park Service crews cut down more than 400 trees over the October holiday weekend, moving in just 15 hours after providing late-Friday notice to the court and plaintiffs. During a tense, seven-hour hearing, Judge Reyes expressed deep skepticism regarding the administration’s rationale, noting that the government acted in bad faith by executing the mass felling while assuring the court no imminent changes were planned.
We did not go from zero to ‘work is scheduled to begin immediately’ in 60 seconds.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, via NBC News
The administration maintained that the tree clearing was entirely separate from any redesign, arguing it stemmed from a 2019 cultural landscape report intended to restore the course’s original treeless links-style aesthetic. Yet Greg Wischer, an Interior Department deputy chief of staff who ordered the cleanup, testified that he only discovered the existence of the 2019 report weeks before directing the operation.
The course itself sits on a peninsula nestled between the Potomac River and the Washington Channel, originally laid out as a facility intended to be open to all people. Over the Columbus Day weekend, park crews fell nearly 430 trees in a single day, an operation that would have destroyed hundreds more had a rain delay not intervened. While preservation advocates and local golfers challenged the sweeping overhaul, Department of Interior officials argued through their legal counsel that the course renovation would simply bring a great, safe, and prestigious upgrade to an old and tired municipal amenity.
Trump’s Social Media Directives Collide With Department Testimony
The courtroom showdown laid bare a glaring contradiction between executive announcements and sworn federal testimony. While Justice Department lawyers repeatedly insisted there was no final plan for the property, President Trump took to social media to announce that a redesign by architect Tom Fazio had been developed, that the existing facility would close on November 15, and that construction would begin immediately.
Ahead of Monday’s proceedings, Trump posted on Truth Social labeling Judge Reyes a “crazed lunatic” who may be insane and asserting that the renovation work did not require court approval. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s deputy chief of staff, Gregory Wischer, joined a packed courtroom of more than 100 attendees—including National Park Service employees wearing full uniform—to answer questions regarding the abrupt clearing. The proceedings also featured an intense procedural clash when Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. submitted a Sunday filing that sparked a dramatic standoff over who would sign the brief. Judge Reyes initially demanded that the government attorneys raise their hands if they would sign the filing, and when Woodward declined, she invoked Rule 11 and ordered them to the podium before ultimately backing away from the signature demand.
Confronted with the widening gap between the podium and the presidency, Judge Reyes questioned the court’s evidentiary compass.
Do I believe the president of the United States or do I believe you? I have, on the one hand, the president of the United States saying to the American public three times now, I think, in the last two days, there is a final plan to redesign the golf course. Then I have you all telling me and, you know, witnesses saying what they’re saying, that there’s no final plan. Which is it?
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, via NPR
Wischer admitted under questioning that he learned of the November 15 closure date directly from Trump’s social media post and had only seen the Fazio design days prior. In response to the friction, the administration’s legal team attempted to remove Judge Reyes from the case by filing a misconduct charge, a maneuver the judge swiftly rejected.
Historic Preservation Stakes and Strict New Court Requirements
The facility currently spans roughly 400 acres across a peninsula featuring two nine-hole courses, an 18-hole course, and a miniature golf area equipped with hazards shaped like national landmarks. Plaintiffs and community advocates voiced strong concerns that replacing the multi-tier public facility with a single championship-style course would dramatically inflate tee-time costs and erase a historic recreational hub.
At the conclusion of the marathon seven-hour hearing, Judge Reyes shared that family members had texted her out of concern after media reports revealed her office had received death threats over the high-profile litigation. Noting the surreal nature of the dispute, she remarked that federal judges receiving death threats over a golf course was certainly not what the nation’s founders envisioned. Despite the pressure, the court established strict boundaries governing any further alterations to the site.
Skye Perryman, president and chief executive of Democracy Forward, praised the decision as a critical safeguard against further irreparable harm to a public amenity that has served Washington golfers for decades.
- The government is barred from removing or damaging any additional trees without a specific court order.
- Officials must provide 10 days of advance notice before closing the golf course.
- The administration must give identical 10-day notice prior to making any irreversible alterations to the grounds.
