Judge Orders 10-Day Notice Before D.C. Golf Course Changes

A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on Monday preventing the Trump administration from altering East Potomac Park, the municipal golf course in Washington, D.C., that the president intends to redevelop into a championship venue.

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes ordered the government to provide at least 10 business days of written notice before closing the park or making any irreversible modifications. The ruling also prohibits the administration from cutting down or substantially pruning trees without a specific court order. Reyes extended an initial two-week halt to tree removal, finding that the government had acted without proper legal justification.

The legal conflict escalated after the government felled 430 trees with less than 24 hours' notice. During a seven-hour hearing last week, officials from the Department of the Interior and National Park Service testified that no final renovation plan existed. This contradicted a post from President Trump that morning, which announced that construction would begin immediately.

Reyes described the administration's shifting positions as a conflict between the president's public statements and the sworn testimony of his employees. She concluded that a renovation plan, referred to by plaintiffs as the Washington National Plan, was finalized well before October 15, 2026. The judge rejected the government's claim that the tree removal was based on a 2019 vegetation report, labeling that explanation as pretextual.

In her 70-page opinion, Reyes criticized the credibility of Gregory Wischer, a deputy chief of staff at the Interior Department. Wischer told the court he had become interested in tree management only in mid-September, despite being photographed in June carrying concept plans with Trump and architect Tom Fazio. Reyes noted that the government had failed to provide a compelling factual rebuttal to the plaintiffs' timeline.

President Trump posted on Truth Social late Monday that the Department of the Interior would appeal the decision. He stated that construction would begin on November 15 and that the park would remain closed for 15 months. Trump argued that the judge lacked expertise in golf, architecture, and construction, calling the delay unfair to the project.

On Tuesday, Reyes made a record of Trump's social media post and gave the government 24 hours to clarify if a plan exists to close the park in mid-November. She will schedule a status hearing for Friday or Monday. The case involves the D.C. Preservation League and two local golfers who filed suit earlier this year to protect the course.