A federal judge has barred the Trump administration from removing any more trees at East Potomac Golf Course in Washington, D.C., pointing to President Donald Trump’s own social media posts as evidence that his plan to rebuild the public course is further along than government lawyers claimed. Trump quickly vowed to “immediately appeal” the decision.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued the injunction Monday, according to Law&Crime. Her order blocks the government from “removing or damaging additional trees” on the course and requires 10 business days’ written notice before any irreparable change to East Potomac Park while the lawsuit from the D.C. Preservation League plays out.
Reyes opened her order by noting how unusual the government’s position was. “Rarely, if ever, has the United States Department of Justice urged a federal court not to believe the sitting President,” she wrote. The judge said Trump’s posts, along with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s silence, support her finding that the so-called Washington National Plan is likely final.
Trump says he shouldn’t have to give a judge advance notice on his golf course project
In his response, Trump claimed the golf course project is “totally ‘as of right'” and must begin right away to be finished “in a timely and seasonal manner.” He argued that having to give notice to a judge with no expertise in golf, architecture or construction is not “fair, appropriate, or Constitutional,” and claimed stray shots make the current course dangerous.
Reyes, who was appointed by Joe Biden, said she stepped in only after the government did what it had assured it would not do, removing “hundreds of trees” without meaningful notice to her or the plaintiffs over a holiday weekend. After she criticized the Justice Department’s lawyers, the government moved to disqualify her. However, she quickly rejected that request.
Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward told the court the tree removal was routine management tied to a 2019 Cultural Landscape Report, not a final agency action. However, Reyes did not accept that the removal was unrelated to the Washington National Plan. She ordered the Justice Department to explain why its lawyers and staff should not be required to preserve records about the plan and the timing of the tree removal.
The judge also rejected the government’s claim that the plaintiffs were relying on “a handful of tweets,” writing that the posts were not complaints about a Red Sox blown lead. As the posts reflected what the president had told the public, Reyes said the plaintiffs had shown a final plan likely exists, pointing as well to the removal of hundreds of healthy trees.
The court fight is the latest chapter in Trump’s push toward shutting down D.C.’s busiest golf course so it can be rebuilt as a championship venue. Trump has said the new East Potomac course would stay open to the public while being able to host world-class tournaments, a plan the preservation group is challenging in court.
In a follow-up order Tuesday, Reyes took judicial notice of Trump’s latest post and told the Justice Department to clarify whether there is a plan to close the course around Nov. 15, as Woodward had earlier told her there was no such plan. She ordered Woodward to appear at a status hearing set for either Oct. 30 or Nov. 2.
An appeal could send the dispute to a higher court, and the upcoming status hearing may clarify whether the course will actually close in mid-November as Trump has said.
Published: Oct 29, 2026 07:15 am