Judge Blocks Trump Golf Course Renovation in Washington

A federal court has blocked the Trump administration from making further changes to East Potomac Park, a public golf course in Washington, D.C., after a dispute over planned renovations and the removal of hundreds of trees. On October 27, 2026, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes ordered a senior Justice Department official to clarify whether the government intends to close the course on November 15, as President Donald Trump has publicly announced.

Reyes issued a 70-page ruling finding that the administration likely violated environmental laws while preparing the site for redevelopment. She extended restrictions on tree removal and other alterations while litigation continues, requiring the government to provide at least ten business days' written notice before closing or irreversibly modifying parts of East Potomac Park.

According to NPR, the government had removed 430 trees with less than a day's notice, prompting renewed legal challenges from the D.C. Preservation League and two local golfers. The plaintiffs argue that the planned redevelopment threatens a public recreational space used by golfers, runners, cyclists, birders and other visitors.

Reyes questioned the discrepancy between Trump's public announcements and sworn statements by administration officials, who had previously told the court they were unaware of a finalized renovation plan. She concluded that a plan likely existed well before October 15, 2026, although the court could not determine its precise finalization date.

"Rarely, if ever, has the United States Department of Justice urged a federal court not to believe the sitting President," Reyes wrote. "Not to believe him that a cabinet secretary has 'developed' a federal land project. Not to believe him that the secretary's agency will destroy a historic golf course already on the land.

Not to believe him that 'Restoration work' will begin 'IMMEDIATELY!' Not to believe him that the course 'will be closed' for over a year. Not to believe what the President has repeatedly told the American public.

And yet, here we are."

The judge also rejected the administration's explanation that the tree removal followed recommendations in a 2019 National Park Service report. She described that justification as pretextual, noting that other recommendations in the report, including those concerning Washington's two other municipal golf courses, had largely gone unaddressed for seven years.

Reyes said the government likely violated the National Environmental Policy Act by separating the environmental impacts of the proposed construction instead of evaluating them together. She also extended an order prohibiting officials from cutting down, substantially pruning or otherwise damaging trees at East Potomac Park without court authorization.

"By issuing this preliminary injunction, the Court does not end the round: it simply marks the ball until the parties can fully and fairly litigate this case," Reyes wrote.

She explained that she had previously declined to intervene in the dispute because she did not want to supervise routine landscaping decisions. However, she said the government had acted contrary to assurances it had given the court.

"The Court earlier stated, 'I am not the Lorax. I do not speak for the trees,'" Reyes wrote. "The Court still does not speak for the trees. It speaks only for the rule of law."

Trump has rejected the restrictions and said his administration will appeal the decision. In a post on Truth Social, he reiterated that the course would close on November 15 for a renovation project expected to last 15 months.

"We are closing the East Potomac Golf Course Site as scheduled on November 15th in order to renovate and rebuild for Competitive (with other such projects!), Safety, Modernization, and Aesthetic reasons," Trump wrote.

Trump also challenged the judge's authority to demand advance notice and updates about the project, arguing that the requirements were unconstitutional. He said the renovation was intended to improve safety, modernize the facility and create a championship-level golf course.

"We believe this Project is totally 'as of right,' and that the judge does not have the Constitutional Right to 'ask for or receive notices,' which are time-consuming, unnecessary, expensive, and unconstitutional. We will immediately appeal this decision," Trump wrote.

Speaking to reporters after a rally in Mississippi on Monday night, Trump said the project had received authorization and criticized Reyes for weighing in on golf course design. He also described the existing course as dangerous because its layout was too tight and said he was seeking immediate relief from the D.C. Circuit Court.

In a separate statement, Trump argued that the renovation should proceed without judicial interference, emphasizing his administration's plans to rebuild the public facility.

"To have to give advanced notices to a judge who has no expertise in Golf, Architecture, Landscaping, Construction, or anything else having to do with building such a World Class Project, is not fair, appropriate, or Constitutional," Trump wrote.

Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward, the nonprofit representing the plaintiffs, welcomed the ruling and said the group was prepared to continue the case.

"We are grateful the court intervened to stop the Trump-Vance administration's greed and lawlessness while the case continues, and we are eager to argue the case in court," Perryman said.

After Trump's latest public announcement, Reyes ordered Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward to clarify whether his earlier statements that no closure plan existed remained accurate. The judge gave the government approximately 24 hours to explain how the announced November closure could be reconciled with its previous representations and said a status hearing would be scheduled for Friday or Monday.

The ruling leaves the renovation plans subject to ongoing litigation, with the administration promising an appeal and the court maintaining restrictions on further changes to the park.