Judge Blocks Trump Plan to Redevelop East Potomac Golf Course
East Potomac Golf Links will stay open for the next two weeks after a federal judge blocked a plan to redevelop the historic public course along the Potomac River into a championship venue.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued a temporary restraining order on Saturday, halting the closure that was scheduled for Sunday before a 15-month shutdown for construction. The legal challenge against the project was initiated in February by the DC Preservation League and two local golfers, NPR reported.
The plaintiffs argue that the plan would alter the accessible golf course and make it unaffordable, a claim denied by President Donald Trump. They sought the stop-work order, asserting that closing the property would irreparably injure plaintiffs and the public interest.
Public announcements on social media by the president last month heavily influenced the decision. Trump stated on Oct. 26 that the site was closing on Nov. 15 to rebuild for competitive, safety, modernization, and aesthetic reasons into a world championship public facility.
Reyes wrote in her ruling that the posts indicated the Washington National Plan is final and that the National Park Service will close the park to implement it. Both points favored granting the temporary restraining order sought by the DC Preservation League and two local golfers.
The order enjoins the government from closing East Potomac Park and the East Potomac Golf Course during their regular daily hours as of Nov. 14. It remains in effect through Nov. 28 or further order from the court.
The Justice Department stated Saturday that the judge acknowledged the National Park Service can limit access where the public faces a risk of harm. Nothing in the order precludes planning for the development to continue, and the department said it will vociferously defend the administration’s agenda in court.
“We are grateful that once again, a court has intervened to prevent irreparable harm caused by the Trump-Vance administration’s pursuit of another one of the president’s vanity projects,” said Catherine Carroll, a senior legal adviser at Democracy Forward, representing the plaintiffs.
The redevelopment is one of several capital projects championed by Trump to remake Washington, alongside a memorial arch, a White House ballroom, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Justice Department lawyer Adam Gustafson argued during Friday’s five-hour hearing that the entire park was being closed due to safety factors and that the lease with current operator National Links Trust was ending.
Reyes pointed out that safety had not been part of the discussion for months. Even before the order, Trump posted on social media that Reyes does not want the course fixed up quickly and inexpensively, adding that local residents would receive a 50% discount on rates.
The temporary restraining order follows a tree-cutting spree over a holiday weekend that prompted the judge to confront the administration over its intentions. The Justice Department subsequently filed a request for Reyes to be removed from the case, though she has not recused herself.
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