A federal judge has temporarily blocked the US government's closure of a historic golf course and park in Washington DC. US District Judge Ana Reyes on Saturday issued a 30-page decision blocking the planned closure of East Potomac Golf Links, a 106-year-old public course, from 15 November for extensive renovations.
Reyes said the Trump administration's justifications for the proposed 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' and 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.'
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 south of the White House, is one of three public courses run by the National Park Service in the nation's capital. Trump, an avid golfer, has said his plans to upgrade the course will create 'one of the Best and Most Spectacular Golf Courses anywhere in the World'. He declared the current course 'Trash Island' and announced in October it would be renovated over 15 months.
The legal fight escalated in October when the National Park Service began cutting 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 to give her three business days' notice about making any other permanent changes.
Despite the work stoppage, Trump announced the course would be closed for 15 months from 15 November. He shared a rendering and said on Truth Social: 'The current Course is old, broken, dilapidated, and of no further use or effect. It is in very poor condition, with falling, dangerous, and disease-infested trees and, importantly, a collapsing and hazardous seawall.'
Reyes has separately opened an inquiry into whether justice department attorneys 'have made misrepresentations to the court and otherwise violated ethical rules'. She said the inquiry would examine whether giving late notice to the court about the renovation plans was 'done in bad faith' and whether the attorneys failed to correct previously false statements or withheld information. She will carry out the inquiry with a special master, an independent third party. Her temporary order blocking the closure lasts until 28 November.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The ruling preserves public access to a historic park that thousands of Washingtonians use daily, at least until late November.
- The case tests the limits of presidential authority over federal land and raises questions about the administration's compliance with environmental and historic preservation laws.
- The judge's separate inquiry into whether justice department attorneys misled the court could have broader implications for how the administration handles litigation.
Background
East Potomac Golf Links is a 106-year-old public golf course operated by the National Park Service, located on a peninsula south of the Washington Monument. Trump, who owns golf courses worldwide, proposed a major renovation that would close the course for 15 months. The DC Preservation League sued in February 2026 to block the plans, arguing the closure would harm a historic landscape.
Key Perspectives
Judge Ana Reyes: ruled the government violated federal laws and gave pretextual justifications for the closure, which runs counter to the public interest in using national parkland.
President Donald Trump: says the current course is dilapidated and dangerous, and that his renovation will create a world-class facility open to the public.
What to Watch
- The 28 November hearing, when Reyes will consider whether to extend her temporary order.
- The outcome of the inquiry into whether justice department attorneys made misrepresentations to the court.
- Whether the Trump administration appeals the ruling or seeks a legislative workaround.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedA judge temporarily blocked Trump from closing the Washington DC golf course for renovation.BBC News: “Reyes has said Donald Trump cannot close the park or its golf course, but added that his administration was not required to actively manage either.”
- SupportedA federal judge found the Trump administration violated laws in its plans to shut East Potomac Golf Links.BBC News: “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."”
- SupportedThe judge temporarily blocked the US government's closure of a historic golf course and park in Washington DC.BBC News: “A federal judge has temporarily blocked the US government's closure of a historic golf course and park in Washington DC.”
- SupportedUS District Judge Ana Reyes issued a 30-page decision on Saturday blocking a planned closure from 15 November for extensive renovations; the course is 106 years old.BBC News: “In a 30-page decision issued on Saturday, Reyes said the Trump administration's justifications for the proposed course closures were pretextual”
- SupportedReyes said the administration's justifications for the proposed closures were pretextual and the government violated at least two federal laws “to meet an arbitrary deadline.”BBC News: “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."”
- SupportedReyes wrote that the government proposed to close a historic park indefinitely, and said the closure ran counter to the public interest and the government had not plausibly identified harm from a temporary restraining order.BBC News: “"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"”
- SupportedThe legal dispute dates to February, when the DC Preservation League and others sued over redevelopment plans for the park.BBC News: “The legal dispute dates back to February, when the DC Preservation League and others sued over redevelopment plans for the park.”
- SupportedThe course is two miles south of the White House and one of three public courses run by the National Park Service in the nation's capital.BBC News: “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.”
- SupportedTrump said his upgrade plans would create “one of the Best and Most Spectacular Golf Courses anywhere in the World”.BBC News: “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".”
- SupportedThe National Park Service began cutting hundreds of trees in October without notifying Reyes until 15 hours before work was to begin; after the trees were cut, she ordered a stop until at least 26 October and three business days' notice before other permanent changes.BBC News: “The legal fight then 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.”
- SupportedTrump shared a rendering and said on Truth Social that the course was old, broken and dilapidated, with dangerous trees and a collapsing, hazardous seawall.BBC News: “"The current Course is old, broken, dilapidated, and of no further use or effect. It is in very poor condition, with falling, dangerous, and disease-infested trees and, importantly, a collapsing and hazardous seawall," he said in a post to Truth Social.”
- SupportedReyes opened an inquiry into whether Justice Department attorneys misrepresented matters to the court or violated ethical rules, including whether late notice was in bad faith and whether they failed to correct false statements or withheld information; she would conduct it with a special master.BBC News: “Reyes has since separately opened an inquiry into whether the justice department attorneys "have made misrepresentations to the court and otherwise violated ethical rules". That included whether giving late notice to the court about the renovation plans was "done in bad faith"”