Judge Weighs Fight Over Trump's East Potomac Golf Course Overhaul
A federal judge heard testimony Monday in the legal battle over President Donald Trump's plans to remake the public golf course at East Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., the same day Trump called her "a crazed lunatic."
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, has paused the redevelopment until at least Oct. 26. The D.C. Preservation League and two golfers who sued to stop the project asked her to extend that order, arguing the work is causing irreversible damage, The Associated Press reported.
"No Universe"
Much of Monday's hearing focused on more than 500 trees the Interior Department removed from the course over a holiday weekend, with little notice to the court or the plaintiffs. Reyes had asked to be warned in advance of any major changes while the case was ongoing.
The government says the tree removals were part of a 2019 National Park Service plan to clear dead, dying and hazardous trees, and that its renovation plans are not final while a Park Service review continues.
Reyes did not appear convinced. She said there is "no universe" in which the tree cutting and the redevelopment plans just happened to line up at the same time.
Interior Department Deputy Chief of Staff Greg Wischer and acting National Park Service Director Jessica Bowron both testified that they only learned about the 2019 report behind the tree cutting in September.
Reyes also pressed Stanley Woodward, the Justice Department's No. 3 official, on whether government attorneys would certify that a Sunday filing was truthful and legally sound.
Trump Lashes Out at the Judge
On Sunday, Trump announced on social media that the course would close for 15 months starting Nov. 15 while the 106-year-old park and course are redeveloped. On Monday, he said the work would start immediately.
In a Monday post, Trump called Reyes "a crazed lunatic" and wrote that the Interior Department has "an absolute right" to turn the course into a "great, safe, and prestigious" golf course, ABC News reported.
The attack came after Reyes rejected a Justice Department request that she step aside from the case. Woodward had argued that she showed clear political bias and accused her of "egregious" behavior during an emergency hearing last week.
"It is easy to weaponize selective quotations to bring a baseless recusal motion," Reyes wrote in denying the request. "By any objective measure, the Government fails to meet the standard for recusal."
Why Opponents Are Fighting the Plan
Trump has pledged to turn East Potomac into a world-class golf venue that could host professional tournaments, part of his broader vision for Washington.
Opponents say the changes would alter the character of the park and make the course less affordable. It has long been open to Washingtonians of all income levels. The plaintiffs also argue the project would violate the 1897 law that created the park, which set it aside for the "recreation and the pleasure of the people," Fortune reported.
The course, whose first 18 holes were built between 1918 and 1923, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, partly because of its efforts to racially integrate in the 1940s.
Part of a Larger Fight
The golfers' lawsuit, filed in February, also raised concerns about debris from the East Wing demolition that the Park Service began dumping on the course. The East Wing was torn down to make way for Trump's White House ballroom, which has faced its own legal challenge from preservationists.
The administration also ended the lease held by the nonprofit National Links Trust, which had run East Potomac and two other D.C. courses, saying it failed to make required improvements. The nonprofit said it had invested $8.5 million in the courses.
Reyes has not yet ruled on whether to extend her order pausing the work.
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