News
Judge orders 10 days' notice before East Potomac can be closed
Judge Ana Reyes has barred further tree removal at the Washington DC public course and ordered the government to give 10 days' notice before closing it. President Trump says it will still close on 15 November and that the government will appeal.
The federal government must give a judge at least 10 days’ written notice before it closes East Potomac Golf Links, under a preliminary injunction Judge Ana Reyes issued on Monday 26 October. To shut the public course in Washington DC on 15 November, the date President Trump has set, it would have to file that notice by 5 November.
The order also bars the Interior Department from removing or damaging any more trees at the course, directly or indirectly, for example by parking heavy machinery near them, GOLF.com reported. The same notice is required before any irreversible change to the park’s landforms, vegetation, course design, drainage, paths or buildings. The order must be served on the architects working on the redesign: Fazio Designs, Tom Fazio and Gavin Fazio.
In her 70-page opinion, reported by Golf Channel, Reyes found that the government’s lawyers had misrepresented what they were doing at the course. “Rarely, if ever, has the United States Department of Justice urged a federal court not to believe the sitting president,” she wrote. At least 400 trees were felled over the weekend of 10 October. On Friday 23 October, at 4.55pm Eastern time, the government gave notice that it planned to cut up to 529, NBC Washington reported.
Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday that the course was “extremely dangerous to play” because its fairways sit too close together. He said it would still close on 15 November and that the government was asking the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit for an immediate remedy. The Justice Department filed a notice of appeal to the DC Circuit the same day.
Reyes wrote that the injunction “simply marks the ball” until the case brought by the DC Preservation League and two golfers is decided.
Sources
- GOLF.com: Trump calls East Potomac ‘extremely dangerous’ after judge halts renovation of popular D.C. muni
- Golf Channel: Judge approves injunction to halt development of East Potomac Golf Links as Trump plans redesign
- NBC Washington: Trump insists East Potomac Park renovation will continue after judge extends injunction
- The Hill via Yahoo News: Trump says East Potomac renovation will proceed despite judge’s order blocking golf course closure
Corrections
- 28 Oct 2026, 19:39 GMT: An earlier version said no appeal had been reported. The Justice Department filed a notice of appeal to the DC Circuit on Tuesday 27 October.
Spotted an error? Tell us and we will fix it. Our editorial standards.
