Judge Extends Injunction Blocking Tree Removal at East Potomac Golf Course
A federal judge in Washington ordered the Trump administration to give advance notice before any further alterations to East Potomac Park, extending a prior injunction that bars additional tree removal.
A U.S. District Court in Washington issued a longer-term injunction on Monday that bars the Trump administration from removing or damaging any more trees on the East Potomac Golf Links. The order requires written notice at least 10 business days before any "irreparable modification" to the park’s features can be undertaken while the litigation continues.
Judge Ana Reyes cited the president’s Truth Social posts, which she said conflicted with sworn testimony from government employees. She noted that the case, which began over a golf-course renovation, now requires the court to reconcile the president’s assertions with testimony from multiple officials and arguments from senior Department of Justice attorneys.
"Rarely, if ever, has the United States Department of Justice urged a federal court not to believe the sitting President," Reyes wrote, adding that the court must uphold the rule of law.
The judge also referenced screenshots of the president’s posts from October 18 and 19, in which he claimed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and an architect had a plan to build a "World Class Championship Golf Course" and later said work would begin "IMMEDIATELY," dismissing the need for construction approvals and calling the judge a "crazed lunatic."
President Trump responded on Truth Social, asserting that the judge had no authority to delay the project and that his administration would "immediately appeal" the decision. He also said the project was "totally ‘as of right’" and that the notice requirement was "unconstitutional."
During a seven-hour hearing earlier this month, Judge Reyes said she likely needed to extend the order after finding the government acted in "bad faith" when more than 400 trees were cut down over the Columbus Day weekend. She reiterated that the court does not "speak for the trees" but for the rule of law.
Democracy Forward President and CEO Skye Perryman, representing the plaintiffs, welcomed the ruling, calling it a "big win" that protects East Potomac Park from further irreparable harm and criticizing the administration’s actions as "greed and lawlessness."