Courts & Justice · Report · File No. 261027-237
Judge extends block on Trump's plan to remake East Potomac public golf course
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued a preliminary injunction barring more tree removal at the 106-year-old D.C. course while a lawsuit goes on. The ruling tests how far the administration can go with public land.
Every quote in this story (1) was matched word for word against its source. How we work
A federal judge on Monday extended a court order blocking the Trump administration's plans to renovate the East Potomac Golf Course, a century-old public course in Washington, D.C. 1
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued a preliminary injunction. That is a court order that stays in place while a lawsuit moves forward. It temporarily bars the government from removing or damaging any more trees on the course 1.
The administration must also give 10 days' written notice before making any "irreparable modification" to the course's "forms or features" while the case is active 1.
How the fight started
The D.C. Preservation League and two golfers sued over the project 1. Government lawyers told the plaintiffs on Friday, Oct. 9, that trees would be cut over the holiday weekend, and cutting began the next day 23. A Justice Department attorney later told the court that 430 trees had been cleared 2.
From Channel GOPTrump on the Alaska ballot and the DOJ suitDonald Trump · 212 plays · captioned, with the source named
Reyes first blocked more cutting with a temporary order and extended it until at least Oct. 26 12. She also rejected the administration's request that she step aside from the case. The government had questioned her impartiality 1.
On Oct. 18, Trump announced on social media that the course would close for 15 months starting Nov. 15 for redevelopment. A day later, he posted that the work would start immediately 1.
The judge's words
Reyes said the case "started as a case about golf." She wrote that it now forces the court to reconcile what Trump has said with sworn testimony from government employees and arguments from senior Justice Department attorneys 1.
The Court still does not speak for the trees. It speaks only for the rule of law,
She also said she was astonished that the government asked her "not to believe the sitting President" and to disregard his statements about his plans 1. At an Oct. 19 hearing, a Justice Department lawyer argued that Trump's posts are not commands a court can enforce, according to the legal newsletter Law Dork 3.
Trump has promised that the course would be renovated through a public-private partnership and be open to the public. He said it would be one of the greatest golf courses anywhere in the world 2.
What happens next
The lawsuit continues, and the injunction stays in force while it does 1. The reports we reviewed did not say when the court will take up the case next, and they did not say whether the order stops the planned Nov. 15 closure. Neither the Justice Department nor the Interior Department had said whether it would appeal in the coverage we reviewed.
That matters beyond golf. The project is part of what the wire report calls a campaign by Trump to leave his personal imprint on Washington's historic landscape. It includes a White House ballroom, a large arch and adding his name to the Kennedy Center 1. Parkland belongs to the public, and this ruling is one more case where a judge, not Congress, is deciding where the limits are.
The Record
- The National Park Service began cutting trees at East Potomac, and a Justice Department lawyer later said 430 were cleared 2.
- Trump announced on social media a 15-month closure starting Nov. 15; a day later he said work would start immediately 1.
- Judge Ana Reyes issued a preliminary injunction barring more tree removal and requiring 10 days' written notice of irreversible changes 1.
Sources
- ABC News (AP), “Judge extends court-ordered block on Trump's renovation plans for public golf course” (2026-10-27). abcnews.com/Politics/wireStory/judge-extends-court-ordered-b
- ABC News, “'Furious' judge extends order barring Trump administration from removing more trees from DC public golf course” (2026-10-13). abcnews.com/Politics/judge-explodes-trump-admin-lawyers-afte
- Law Dork, “A day of arguments over Trump's golf course plans show how far DOJ will go to back Trump” (2026-10-20). lawdork.com/p/golf-arguments-reyes-trump-interior
Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.
More from the files
Judge orders Interior official to preserve phone data in Potomac golf course fight
A federal judge told the Trump administration to make sure a senior Interior Department official saves the contents of his personal phone. The order comes as a lawsuit questions how the government is handling a public golf course on federal land.
Justice Department's No. 3 official moves to pull two Minnesota judges off immigration cases
Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward wants Judges Patrick Schiltz and John Tunheim off two cases because of comments they made to a newspaper. Ethics experts and a Democratic attorney general say the real goal is to intimidate judges who have ruled against the administration.
Trump rule lets Alaska hunters bait bears with doughnuts and bacon on federal lands
The Interior Department has finalized a rule that undoes a 2024 ban on baiting bears with human food on federal land in Alaska. Critics say it endangers visitors and wildlife.
Delivered free to your door*
The Morning Edition
One short email at 7 a.m. Eastern: the day's top files, one clip worth your time, and the race to watch. Plain English, large type, no clutter.
*Your inbox. Free. Unsubscribe with one click, any time.