US District Judge Ana Reyes issued a preliminary injunction on Monday barring the administration from cutting or damaging additional trees at East Potomac Golf Links while a lawsuit challenging the project proceeds. The order also requires advance written notice before the government closes any part of the course or makes irreversible alterations.
Trump criticised the ruling and said his administration would appeal. He has announced plans to close the century-old municipal facility on 15 November for approximately 15 months, replacing its existing layout with an 18-hole championship course designed by golf architect Tom Fazio.
The injunction does not amount to a final judgment on the legality of the redevelopment. It preserves conditions at the site while the court considers allegations that federal officials bypassed environmental and historic preservation requirements. Tree removal remains permissible where necessary to address an imminent public safety threat. The court has not determined whether the full redevelopment can lawfully proceed at all.
Reyes ordered the administration to provide at least 10 business days’ written notice before closing any section of the course or undertaking changes that cannot readily be reversed. The requirement gives the plaintiffs an opportunity to seek further judicial intervention before additional work begins.
The lawsuit was brought by the DC Preservation League and two local golfers, who contend that the proposed transformation threatens the character and public accessibility of the historic course. They have challenged the government’s authority to proceed without the reviews and approvals they say federal law requires.
The dispute intensified after federal crews removed more than 400 trees at East Potomac Park over a holiday weekend earlier this month. Preservation advocates argued that the operation caused irreversible damage and formed part of preparations for the championship course. The administration maintained that the cutting was connected to separate maintenance and safety objectives.
Reyes rejected the government’s explanation at this stage of the proceedings, finding that the tree removal was likely connected to the broader redesign. She also concluded that the plaintiffs had demonstrated a likelihood of success on a claim under the National Environmental Policy Act, particularly concerning the treatment of related activities as separate projects.
The judge questioned discrepancies between statements made publicly by Trump and representations from government lawyers that plans remained preliminary. Trump had described a developed redesign and identified a closure date, while officials maintained in court that no final agency decision had been taken.
Her written opinion said the dispute had moved beyond the merits of a golf course renovation to questions about the reliability of the government’s representations to the judiciary. Reyes also rejected an administration request that she withdraw from the case because of alleged bias.
The president has presented the redevelopment as an effort to create a course capable of hosting major professional competitions, including the US Open and Ryder Cup. His published plans envision a substantially different layout at Hains Point, the peninsula extending into the Potomac River south of central Washington.
Opponents say the change could sacrifice an affordable public sporting facility in favour of a championship design. The existing complex has served recreational golfers for generations, and the proposed reduction to a single championship course has raised questions about the range of playing opportunities that would remain available.
The Interior Department oversees the federally owned parkland through the National Park Service. Its role in the project has been scrutinised because federal environmental review obligations apply to certain government decisions affecting public land and protected resources.
Government lawyers have argued that decisions about redesigning and maintaining the course do not necessarily constitute the kind of final agency action that can be challenged under the relevant statutes. The plaintiffs dispute that interpretation, pointing to the scale of the work and the president’s announced timetable.
The court has also directed the Interior Department to address the preservation of records connected with the project. That issue arose amid judicial concerns about how decisions were documented and communicated during the litigation.
East Potomac Golf Links occupies parkland near the Washington Channel and Potomac River. The course opened in 1920 and remains part of a publicly accessible recreation area administered by the National Park Service.
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