U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes is weighing whether to extend a temporary order blocking the Trump administration from cutting down more trees at East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, D.C., following a contentious seven-hour hearing on Mon 2026-10-19. The Justice Department, represented by Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, told the judge that there is "no plan to close the course," characterizing Trump's statements about the renovation as wishes rather than confirmed policy.
The dispute centers on over 400 trees felled at the course during the Columbus Day weekend in October, which the administration claimed were part of maintenance activities guided by a 2019 Cultural Landscape Report. Judge Reyes found the government acted in "bad faith" in the tree removal, saying she had previously trusted the government's assurances that it would provide notice before large-scale work. "What has happened has cost the government all of its credibility," Reyes said at an earlier hearing.
Trump undermined the government's legal position by announcing on social media that the Interior Department and golf course architect Tom Fazio had "developed a plan to build a World Class Championship Golf Course" at the site. He wrote that the renovation would begin on November 15, when "the old Course will be closed to play," and later escalated the timeline, stating that work was "scheduled to begin IMMEDIATELY." Reyes cited these posts as evidence of bad faith. "I mean, there is no universe in which all of this just coincidentally happened at the same time. There just isn't," she said.
Government witnesses testified they were unaware of any concrete renovation plan. Acting National Park Service Director Jessica Bowron told the judge that she first learned of the planned closure from Trump's social media post. Interior Department chief of staff Gregory Wischer said he was "not aware" of any work scheduled to begin on November 15. Woodward acknowledged Trump would "like" to close the course but characterized it as a presidential preference, not a finalized plan. Reyes rejected the administration's attempts to distance government testimony from Trump's public statements, saying the posts contradicted claims that no renovation plan existed.
The lawsuit was filed by the D.C. Preservation League and two Washington residents, who argue that Trump's plan would transform the 100-year-old public golf course with three courses of varying difficulty into a single championship-style course, fundamentally changing its character. The plaintiffs contend the administration is moving forward without complying with federal environmental and historic preservation laws. They also challenged the government's characterization of the tree removal as routine maintenance, noting that Trump's stated plan would "require massive tree-clearing."
Trump dismissed the lawsuit as "ridiculous" and blamed the judge, calling Reyes a "crazed lunatic" in a social media post. He argued that the Interior Department is "allowed to do this First Class renovation 'as of right'" without needing approval and that the current course is "old, tired, beaten up, it's useless." He said the renovation "should be very simple" and would "do something great for Washington." Reyes indicated at the end of the hearing that she had received death threats following media reports of Trump's criticism, stating that "a federal judge is getting death threats over a golf course" was not what the founders envisioned.
The Justice Department had argued in court filings that Reyes should recuse herself from the case, claiming she showed bias and alleged improper conduct toward DOJ attorneys in prior hearings. Reyes did not grant the recusal motion. She indicated she plans to issue a longer-term order limiting the administration's ability to modify the course while the litigation continues. A temporary order currently bars the government from felling trees through October 26.
