Background: Washington, D.C. – October 12: View of East Potomac Golf Links as a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to stop cutting down trees at Washington, D.C.’s East Potomac Golf Links, October 12, 2026 (mpi34/mediaPunch /IPX). Inset left: U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in June 2022 during her confirmation hearings (Sen. Dick Durbin/YouTube). Inset right: President Donald Trump speaks in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Washington (AP Photo/Alex Brandon).
Tensions are rising in the battle over construction at a public park and golf course in Washington, D.C., as the plaintiffs in the case have stopped just short of calling the federal defendants liars.
In a 42-page motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO), golfers and a preservation group say the Trump administration’s behavior should result in the court stopping the government in its tracks.
“At its heart, this case is about the federal government’s responsibility as caretaker for America’s national parkland and its respect for the rule of law,” the motion reads. “That responsibility is not left to the whims of a deputy chief of staff, a cabinet secretary, or even a president.”
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Since the lawsuit was filed in February, the case has seesawed considerably as facts on the ground have literally been sawed down.
The plaintiffs began by saying President Donald Trump intended to “destroy East Potomac Golf Course” and build “in its place a championship-style golf course suitable for professional tournaments.”
But, at first, U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes, a Joe Biden appointee, resisted entering preliminary relief for the plaintiffs, telling the parties that she did “not want to be the overseer of Parks and Rec.”
Attitudes changed considerably in early October when the Department of the Interior (DOI) removed some 529 trees from the golf course — which is part of East Potomac Park. This clear-cutting earned the judge’s ire, as Law&Crime previously reported. Reyes accused Department of Justice attorneys of doing “your absolute worst” and angrily criticized the government in a hearing that resulted in the judge ordering a freeze on further construction or tree removal.
Since then, motions practice has been furious and multifaceted.
In mid-October, the Trump administration heavily criticized the judge while urging her to rule against the plaintiffs on a preliminary injunction request. Then, the very next day, the government moved to have Reyes disqualified over her “histrionic” comments.
In late October, farewell photos posted by former White House press secretary Katie Zacharia apparently revealed some aspects of hitherto secret plans to eliminate vast swathes of the park itself for the planned professional golf course. The formal plans were filed on Oct. 30 and were finally revealed in full this week in court filings.
The filed plans track with the Zacharia revelations.
Under the Washington National Plan (WNP), the park’s popular cherry-blossom-lined bike path along Hains Point “becomes part of the golf course, in place of the existing lawn and picnic areas,” according to the filing. Additionally, the filing says “the golf course extends to the seawall around the peninsula” and that “displaced recreation” of “biking, walking, fishing, and picnicking” will be “accommodated nearby” at other parks.
Now, the plaintiffs want Reyes to act again.
“If Defendants can destroy East Potomac Park and reshape it in whatever image they like without regard for law or process, then they—or any other administration—can do it at any other national park, too,” the TRO motion continues. “This case is also about the integrity of the judicial process, counsel’s duty of candor to the Court, and the government’s role in protecting these goals.”
A few days before the final plan was filed on the docket, the government filed notice of its intent to close the park on Nov. 15 — in line with the requirements of the existing preliminary injunction.
“East Potomac Park will be closed south of Buckeye Drive as a result of the deteriorated sea wall that is currently crumbling into the Potomac River and is a safety hazard in a state of significant disrepair,” the notice reads. “This action is necessary regardless of the ultimate design of the golf course, given the significant safety hazards at East Potomac Park.”
But the plaintiffs insist the judge should not believe the government about the “safety” rationale argued in the notice.
Citing the Trump administration’s past behavior, the plaintiffs say the proof is in the pudding. That is, the motion highlights a past instance in which the government used an otherwise valid excuse to try to move forward with the redevelopment plans in the face of a court order.
“Just as the Court found that Defendants sought to justify their recent tree ‘management’ plan (TMP) on pretextual grounds when it was in fact a further step toward implementing the [WNP], so too have Defendants now purported to justify the imminent closure of East Potomac Park on the basis of an asserted ‘safety’ rationale that is so risible that even their declarant does not endorse it,” the motion continues.
The plaintiffs say the DOJ is poorly hiding the real plan, noting Trump himself has “repeatedly announced” that Nov. 15 is the day the government “will renovate and rebuild” the golf course.
To that end, the motion asks Reyes to issue a TRO or a 15-day administrative stay.
The post ‘So risible’: Preservation group urges court to stop Trump admin from closing park in golf course case over ‘pretextual’ concerns about ‘safety’ with new restraining order first appeared on Law & Crime.
