President Donald Trump said his administration will appeal a federal judge’s order blocking further tree removal at the East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, and insisted the public course will still close on Nov. 15 for a major rebuild.
“The judge has absolutely no right to hold up this very important and beautiful Project,” Trump wrote on Truth Social late Monday, Mediaite reported. “We are asking the D.C. Circuit Court for immediate remedy.”
Judge Ana Reyes blocks more tree removal
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued a preliminary injunction on Monday that bars the Interior Department and the National Park Service from removing or damaging any more trees on the course while the lawsuit continues. The government must also give at least 10 days’ written notice before making any irreversible changes.
In a 70-page ruling, Reyes found that the administration likely broke federal environmental law by splitting the project into smaller pieces instead of reviewing it as a whole. Justice Department lawyers had described the work as routine maintenance to restore the course’s original design, while Trump has promised a “World Class Championship Golf Course.”
“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, according to The Associated Press. She also rejected the government’s request that she step aside from the case.
At least 400 trees have already been cut down on the 106-year-old course.
Who is suing
The lawsuit was brought by the DC Preservation League and two golfers, who argue the overhaul threatens the historic public course and skipped required environmental and historic preservation reviews.
Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, which is co-counsel for the plaintiffs, called the ruling “a big win that will rightly protect East Potomac Park from further irreparable harm.”
Trump says the closure goes ahead
Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Monday night, Trump said the project “has the go-ahead.” He said he “didn’t know she was an architectural critic of golf courses” and added, “She knows nothing about that, so we’ll appeal that.”
In a later post, he said the course would close as planned on Nov. 15 for renovation “for Competitive (with other such projects!), Safety, Modernization, and Aesthetic reasons.” He first announced the 15-month closure on Oct. 18.
Trump called Reyes, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, a “crazed lunatic” last week. The golf course is one of several Trump projects in Washington, along with a White House ballroom, a large arch and a planned National Garden of American Heroes in nearby West Potomac Park.
The administration’s appeal now goes to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
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