Judge Orders Ethics Inquiry Into Government Lawyers Over East Potomac Golf Links Case

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes announced that a special master will review whether government attorneys withheld information or made misleading statements regarding plans to redevelop the East Potomac Golf Links, a historic public golf course in Washington, D.C. The inquiry will focus on possible breaches of professional or ethical obligations, not on determining misconduct.

The review follows contradictory statements from administration officials after President Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that the course would close for 15 months starting Nov. 15 for a major redevelopment. Judge Reyes questioned Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. for more than two hours, comparing his testimony with the president’s online posts and asking whether a National Park Service official had been told to omit details from a court filing.

Government agencies, including the Interior Department, Justice Department and National Park Service, had previously been unable to confirm the existence or scope of any redevelopment plans. Earlier this year, Judge Reyes ordered advance notice of any substantive construction work at the site. Despite that order, more than 400 trees were removed from the course, prompting the judge to extend an injunction against further irreversible changes.

On Wednesday, the Justice Department told the court that the National Park Service would submit a design by golf-course architect Tom Fazio to the National Capital Planning Commission. Until then, Justice Department lawyers had not acknowledged any plans. Trump had posted that he had commissioned Fazio to build a "World Class Championship Golf Course" on the park site, which currently includes biking and walking paths.

The DC Preservation League, which filed the lawsuit in February, argues that the redevelopment could violate environmental protections and damage a historically significant public space. The case is one of two federal lawsuits challenging the administration’s projects in the capital, the other involving a proposed 75-metre memorial arch near Arlington National Cemetery.

"There was always the assumption that you would try to do things that were legal," said David Super, a professor at Georgetown University Law Center. "What we’re seeing here now is that if you think the federal courts can’t stop you, you can break the law."