Judge Bars Trump Administration From Cutting Trees at East Potomac Park
A federal judge on Monday issued an order stopping the Trump administration from cutting down any additional trees at East Potomac Park without judicial permission, marking a major victory for local golfers and preservationists who are opposing President Donald Trump’s initiative to redesign the municipal golf facility.
Judge Reyes Rejects Administration Rationale in 70-Page Ruling
In a blistering 70-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes concluded that the recent removal of trees was carried out to further Trump’s larger objective of converting the historic public links into a championship layout designed by Tom Fazio. Reyes labeled the administration’s official explanation—claiming the tree-felling was an independent measure to execute a 2019 preservation study—as “pretextual.”
Reyes began her written decision by highlighting the striking contradiction between the public pronouncements made by Trump regarding his intentions for the property and the opposing arguments presented by government attorneys in court. She noted that it is exceptionally rare, if it has ever happened before, for the U.S. Department of Justice to instruct a federal tribunal to disregard the statements of the serving President.
In granting the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction, Reyes mandated that the administration provide the court and the plaintiffs with a minimum of 10 business days’ advance notice prior to shutting down any section of the course or executing permanent modifications to the park. This includes alterations to landforms, vegetation, course design, pathways, or structures.
Discrepancies Emerge Between Public Announcements and Court Testimony
The strict notification requirement follows Trump’s public announcement that East Potomac would close on Nov. 15 for roughly 15 months. However, senior Park Service officials testified that they had not been told of any such closure.
Under the terms of the directive, the government must provide detailed information regarding the specific nature and schedule of any proposed work, identify the officials responsible for authorizing and executing it, estimate its impact on the park, and clarify whether it relates to Trump’s proposal to transform East Potomac into a premier course capable of hosting major championships. Justice Department lawyers have maintained that this plan has still not been finalized.
The magistrate additionally instructed authorities to notify the tribunal immediately if any person or organization attempts to implement changes at the East Potomac property. An Interior Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The confrontation escalated earlier this month after National Park Service crews chopped down upward of 400 trees across the East Potomac grounds during the October 10 holiday weekend. Reyes initially halted further cutting for 24 hours, then extended the restriction through October 26.
Skye Perryman, president and chief executive of Democracy Forward, which represents the plaintiffs, issued a statement praising the decision. “This is a big win that will rightly protect East Potomac Park from further irreparable harm,” Perryman said. “We are grateful the court intervened to stop the Trump administration’s greed and lawlessness while the case continues.”
Reyes Finds Government Likely Violated Environmental Policy Act
Rather than viewing the tree removal as the initial phase of Trump’s broader overhaul, the administration has framed the clearing as a distinct initiative designed to implement recommendations from a 2019 report aimed at restoring the property’s historic links-style scenery. Within her written decision, Reyes determined that the federal government likely breached the National Environmental Policy Act by improperly fragmenting the overarching project into smaller segments, thereby dodging a comprehensive assessment of its combined environmental consequences.
During an extended court session lasting several hours, Reyes asserted that there was no conceivable scenario in which the timing of the tree clearance, the public announcements made by Trump, and the developing redesign could be considered a coincidence. Reyes asserted in her legal decision that the administration appeared purposely to have timed the tree felling and the delayed notification to obstruct the plaintiffs from seeking judicial intervention.
The hearing exposed a disconnect between the administration’s public messaging and its position in court. Trump announced the day before that the Interior Department and golf architect Tom Fazio had developed a plan for a championship course, stated the existing facility would close November 15, and promised the new course would open roughly 15 months later. The design blueprints publicized by Trump would eliminate the 36 current holes at East Potomac in favor of a single 18-hole championship venue, while seemingly wiping out Ohio Drive, the peninsula’s perimeter road heavily frequented by runners and bicyclists.
In contrast, Gregory Wischer—serving as deputy chief of staff to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum—testified that he discovered the scheduled November 15 shutdown via a post on Trump’s social media channels and had only encountered the fresh Fazio layout days prior. Justice Department lawyers maintained there was no final plan.
Reyes rejected Wischer’s account as untrustworthy, pointing to his participation in a June site inspection alongside Trump, Burgum, and Fazio, throughout which he carried documentation outlining project concepts. That conflict deepened the judge’s frustration with the government. “So who do I believe?” she asked after a government lawyer said there was no plan to close the course November 15. “Do I believe the president of the United States or do I believe you?”
Reyes noted in her ruling that the Justice Department cannot acknowledge the President’s account without dropping a key defense to the plaintiffs’ suit, so it has not.
Reyes Orders Interior Department to Preserve Project Information
Reyes instructed the Department of the Interior to submit a justification by Wednesday detailing why neither the agency nor its associated Justice Department personnel and legal counsel should face mandatory instructions to safeguard data concerning the formulation of Trump’s project, the scheduling of the tree eradication, and the communications regarding court and plaintiff notifications.
Last week’s hearing followed a period of personal conflict between Reyes and the Justice Department. Government lawyers sought her recusal, accusing her of open hostility and bias. Reyes rejected the request.
Meanwhile, Trump has used social media to press the project and assail the judge. In addition to announcing the planned closure and Fazio redesign, he wrote that work would begin immediately and called Reyes a crazed lunatic who may be insane.
Elizabeth Kiker, executive director of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, welcomed the ruling. WABA filed an amicus brief in the case.
“What a day of success and hope for an occasionally beaten down, but ultimately unbowed, Washington, D.C. community,” she said in a statement.