Judge Rebukes Trump Over DC Golf Course Overhaul

A federal judge sharply challenged the Trump administration on Monday over its push to remake East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, after officials removed hundreds of trees and President Donald Trump said work would start immediately despite an earlier court order.

According to NPR, U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes held a tense hearing after the administration had already been temporarily blocked from moving ahead with the project. The dispute centers on plans to replace the site’s three existing courses with a single championship-style layout.

According to NPR, a D.C. preservation group and two individuals sued the U.S. Department of the Interior and the National Park Service in February. They argue the renovation would raise tee-time costs at a course long intended to remain accessible to the public.

According to NPR, Reyes had ordered in May that the administration give notice before substantial construction, including the removal of more than 10 trees. Government officials then notified the court late on Friday, Oct. 9, that they planned to remove up to 529 trees in phases.

According to NPR and CNN, bulldozers began clearing trees the next day, and more than 430 were cut down. Reyes last week ordered a 24-hour halt after rejecting the argument that the work amounted to routine maintenance.

"Do I believe the president of the United States or do I believe you?" asked Ana C. Reyes, U.S. District Judge.

During Monday’s hearing, Reyes focused on the gap between court filings and Trump’s public statements. NPR reported that government lawyers had told the court the plan remained under review, while Trump had posted detailed redevelopment plans on Sunday.

"I have, on the one hand, the president of the United States saying to the American public three times now, I think, in the last two days, there is a final plan to redesign the golf course," said Ana C. Reyes, U.S. District Judge.

Reyes contrasted those statements with testimony and filings presented in court. She pressed administration lawyers over whether the government had misled the court about how advanced the redesign had become.

"Then I have you all telling me and, you know, witnesses saying what they're saying, that there's no final plan. Which is it?" said Ana C. Reyes, U.S. District Judge.

NPR reported that the White House filed a motion on Friday seeking Reyes’ removal from the case, accusing her of bias. She declined to step aside and continued the hearing without issuing an immediate ruling.

"I do not know how I could have made it any plainer that I did not want what was to happen, to happen," said Ana C. Reyes, U.S. District Judge.

Reyes also emphasized the site’s broader significance beyond golf. NPR reported that East Potomac is a century-old public facility and was among the first courses to be desegregated, while nearby parkland is used by cyclists, runners, fishers, and picnickers.

"I have given the government every single benefit of the doubt that it would not do precisely what it has done," said Ana C. Reyes, U.S. District Judge.

Trump has described the course as old and unusable and has argued the administration can proceed without court approval, according to NPR and Vox. Vox also reported that a rendering shared by Trump showed changes extending beyond the course itself, including the removal of a public park area and a multiuse road.

"This is not just some putt-putt course," said Ana C. Reyes, U.S. District Judge.

CNN placed the golf course case within a wider pattern of clashes between the administration and federal courts. It reported that an Associated Press review in May found district judges had ruled the administration violated court orders in at least 31 lawsuits over 15 months, alongside more than 250 other findings of noncompliance in immigration matters.

Reyes said the East Potomac property carries "a deep amount of meaning for the people of the district, and is protected as a historic landmark."