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A federal judge temporarily blocked the closure of Washington, D.C.'s East Potomac golf course and surrounding park, citing pretextual justifications and violations of federal law.
A federal judge on Saturday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from closing Washington, D.C.'s East Potomac golf course and surrounding park, just hours before the planned closure was set to begin.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued a temporary restraining order requiring the National Park Service to maintain public access to the course and Hains Point park. The order does not require the administration to continue golf operations, as officials say they terminated the lease of the golf course operator. Reyes said the absence of a vendor cannot be used to justify closing a large swath of the park to the public.
In a 30-page decision issued on Saturday, Reyes said the Trump administration's justifications for the proposed course closures were pretextual, and that the government violated at least two federal laws "to meet an arbitrary deadline."
"The Government proposes to close a historic park, daily enjoyed by Washingtonians of all stripes, indefinitely," Reyes wrote.
She said the closure "runs counter to the public interest in utilising national parkland", adding that the government had not "plausibly identified any harm it would suffer from a temporary restraining order that preserves the status quo pending further proceedings."
Her order will last until the 28 November.
The legal dispute dates back to February, when the DC Preservation League and others sued over redevelopment plans for the park. The historic course, which sits 2 miles (3km) south of the White House, is one of three public courses run by the National Park Service in the nation's capital.
The legal fight escalated in October, when the NPS began to cut down hundreds of trees without notifying Reyes until 15 hours before work was set to begin. After the trees were cut, Reyes ordered the Trump administration to stop tree removal until at least 26 October and give her three business days' notice about making any other permanent changes.
Trump announced that the course would be closed for 15 months from 15 November to accommodate the renovations. He also shared a rendering of the course redesign. Trump, an avid golfer, has said his plans to upgrade the 106-year-old course will create "one of the Best and Most Spectacular Golf Courses anywhere in the World."
Reyes has since separately opened an inquiry into whether the justice department attorneys "have made misrepresentations to the court and otherwise violated ethical rules." She said she would carry out the inquiry with a special master, an independent third party.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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US District Judge Ana Reyes issued a two-week temporary restraining order preventing the closure of East Potomac Park and its golf course, ruling the administration's justifications were pretextual and violated at least two federal laws.
