U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes on Monday ordered a temporary halt to tree cutting at the historic East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, D.C., sharply admonishing federal attorneys after crews cleared hundreds of trees over the holiday weekend.
Reyes issued a 24-hour restraining order during an emergency virtual hearing held on a federal court holiday, blocking all further tree removals, including any maintenance work, until Tuesday afternoon. The judge called the hearing on short notice after Justice Department lawyers notified the court late Friday afternoon that tree clearing would start the following morning.
“What has happened has cost the government all of its credibility,” Reyes told Justice Department attorneys, NBC News reported. The judge had previously requested advance notice of any irreversible actions at the site so she could evaluate potential emergency requests from plaintiffs.
Discrepancies emerged regarding the scale of the weekend cutting. National Park Service and Justice Department representatives stated that 430 trees were cut down on Saturday, NBC News and CBS News reported. In a declaration filed Friday, Kevin Griess, superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks, initially projected that 169 trees would be removed first, followed by another 90, with an estimated 529 felled throughout the broader project, CBS News reported. Lawyers for the plaintiffs—the D.C. Preservation League and two local golfers—argued in court documents that crews felled more than 500 trees on Saturday alone, including mature oaks and maples.
Administration points to landscape report
Park officials testified remotely that the sudden clearing was aimed at restoring the public property to its original design. Griess testified that the operation was guided by a 2019 National Park Service Cultural Landscape Report recommending the restoration of an open, links-style layout with minimal trees, reflecting the course’s 1920s design by architect Walter J. Travis, CBS News reported.
Frank Lands, deputy director of operations for the National Park Service, testified that the work aligned with President Donald Trump’s 2025 executive directive to beautify the nation’s capital, ABC News reported. Lands testified that Greg Wischer, deputy chief of staff to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, directed him to move forward rapidly, NBC News reported.
Under questioning from the judge, Lands acknowledged that while other local public courses were included in the 2019 report, no similar tree-cutting discussions occurred regarding those locations, according to ABC News.
Concerns over Trump overhaul
The plaintiffs filed a legal challenge earlier this year after reports indicated that Trump planned to transform the municipal golf course into a premier championship venue. In a June social media post, Trump confirmed his intentions, writing that the current course was dilapidated and outdated, NBC News reported.
Local preservationists and community members have expressed concern that turning the historic municipal grounds into an upscale facility will displace everyday golfers, reduce public park access and raise fees, The Guardian US reported. The D.C. Preservation League also argued that dividing the overhaul into separate maintenance projects unlawfully circumvents environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act, CBS News reported.
White House adviser Stephen Miller criticized the judicial intervention in a social media post on X, questioning why federal courts were becoming involved in municipal golf course upkeep, NBC News reported.
Reyes indicated that the temporary restraining order could be extended up to 14 days and scheduled another hearing for Tuesday afternoon, ABC News and CBS News reported. The judge ordered Wischer to testify after government lawyers were unable to contact him on Monday. Reyes also stated that she intends to mandate three days of advance notice from the Justice Department before any future work takes place at the course, according to CBS News.
