A federal judge has ordered a two-week delay to the planned redevelopment of a historic public golf course in Washington, blocking President Donald Trump’s attempt to close the site and begin work on a championship-level venue along the Potomac River.
US District Judge Ana Reyes issued a temporary restraining order on Saturday, a day before East Potomac Golf Links was due to shut for 15 months. The closure had been announced despite a legal challenge brought by the DC Preservation League and two local golfers in February.
The plaintiffs argue that the redevelopment would alter the character of the accessible course and make it unaffordable. They said closing the site and starting construction would cause irreparable harm to them and the public.
Judge Reyes’s order prevents the government from closing East Potomac Park and the golf course during the daily hours for which they were open on Saturday. It does not require the government to carry out any active management, and allows repairs to continue in line with an existing preliminary injunction.
The order will remain in force until November 28, or until the court issues a further ruling.
Trump’s own public statements about the closure were central to the judge’s decision. In a social media post on October 26, he said the site would close as scheduled on November 15 to be renovated and rebuilt for “Competitive (with other such projects!), Safety, Modernization, and Aesthetic reasons”.
He said the aim was to create “a World Championship Public Facility”. In her ruling, Ms Reyes said the posts suggested that the redevelopment plan was final and that the National Park Service intended to close the park to carry it out.
The Justice Department said the ruling recognised the National Park Service’s power to restrict access where the public could face harm. It said nothing prevented planning for a “world class golf course” from continuing and that it would defend the Trump administration’s agenda in court.
Catherine Carroll, a senior legal adviser at Democracy Forward, which represents the plaintiffs, welcomed the decision. She said the administration’s pursuit of what she called “another one of the president’s vanity projects” would have taken away a treasured park that could not be replaced.
The administration has argued that the closure applies to the whole of East Potomac Park, which includes three golf courses, a miniature course, cycling lanes and other recreational facilities. Government lawyer Adam Gustafson also pointed to the expiry of the lease held by the current operator, National Links Trust.
During a five-hour hearing on Friday, however, Judge Reyes questioned why safety had only become part of the justification for closure after months of discussion. She also suggested that ending the lease appeared to provide a premise for closing the course, rather than being the reason the closure was required.
Trump criticised the judge in a social media post on Saturday, claiming she did not want the course to be fixed “quickly and inexpensively”. He said Washington-area residents would receive a 50 per cent discount on all rates and that the redevelopment would “evolve into something very special”.
The ruling is the latest in a series of legal setbacks affecting projects Trump has promoted to reshape the US capital, including a proposed memorial arch, a White House ballroom and work involving the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Judge Reyes, who was nominated by former Democratic president Joe Biden, had previously declined to halt work while the case proceeded. Her position hardened in October after trees were cut down at the 106-year-old park over a holiday weekend with little notice to the court or the plaintiffs.
Government officials said the tree removal followed a 2019 plan. The judge subsequently questioned the administration over what she described as deceptive conduct regarding its intentions for the project.
The Justice Department has asked for Ms Reyes to be removed from the case, accusing her of “egregious behavior” and questioning her impartiality. She has not recused herself.
She has also said she intends to appoint Jessie Liu, a former US attorney for the District of Columbia, to examine whether Interior Department and National Park Service officials, along with Justice Department lawyers, breached ethical rules or misled the court.
