Judge Halts Tree Clearing at East Potomac Golf Links as Trump-Vance Project Draws Fierce Scrutiny
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U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes extended an order stopping further tree removal at Washington’s East Potomac Golf Links after officials rushed ahead with major clearing, deepening concerns that the Trump-Vance administration is pushing through a vanity-driven redevelopment with little transparency.
A federal judge has extended a temporary injunction that blocks the Trump administration from removing any more trees at East Potomac Golf Links, a public course in Washington, D.C. The order, issued by U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, now stays in place until Oct. 26.
Reyes had already told the government it needed court permission before cutting down more than ten trees. On Friday, officials alerted the court to a plan to remove as many as 529 trees, and by day’s end at least 430 had already been felled. The judge then called an emergency hearing and said the government’s conduct had “cost the government all of its credibility with me in this case.”
"If that order is violated by two seconds, there are going to be contempt proceedings," Reyes warned.
Reyes also directed senior officials from the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service to appear at a hearing next Monday so she can press them on the administration’s motives and the future of the historic course.
"The questions go to whether I've been lied to," Reyes said, referring to the administration’s claims about the timing of the project and the notice given to the court.
The lawsuit was filed in February by the D.C. Preservation League and two residents who say the redevelopment plan violates federal law. Democracy Forward’s president and CEO, Skye Perryman, called the project a “pet vanity project” and said it reflects a broader pattern of the Trump-Vance administration moving aggressively to reshape national landmarks.
Local advocates said the redevelopment could limit public access to the affordable course and nearby recreational space. Consultant Alex Rosen, who founded the nonprofit Save East Po, called the issue “a broader story than just about golf” and criticized what he described as a disturbing lack of transparency.
A National Park Service filing said the tree-clearing was part of “deferred maintenance” and pointed to a 2019 report saying historic tree planting had changed the course’s original 1920s design. The filing also noted a temporary staffing increase tied to the administration’s 250th-anniversary events.
The Interior Department said in a statement that President Donald J. Trump is carrying out his promise to make D.C. “safe and beautiful.” But the plaintiffs say the administration is using maintenance claims as cover for a much larger redevelopment agenda.
Reyes said the plaintiffs are likely to suffer irreparable harm without injunctive relief and ordered the government to give three business days’ written notice before making any further irreversible changes to the golf course.