On the eve of a planned fifteen-month shutdown, a federal judge in Washington paused the closure of East Potomac Golf Links, a century-old public course on federal land that the president has promised to transform into a venue for major professional tournaments. The judge, Ana Reyes, granted a two-week reprieve, and in doing so leaned on the president's own public words, which she read as proof that the renovation plan is settled and that the park will indeed be closed to carry it out. It is one more chapter in a longer human contest over who gets to shape a shared public space, and whether a
Judge Halts East Potomac Golf Course Closure Hours Before Trump-Backed Renovation Was to Begin
Trump's own posts became evidence that the plan is final
Mark
Why does a two-week order matter if it's so short?
Mimi
Because the course was set to close Sunday for 15 months. Once the work starts, it's hard to undo. The order keeps things as they are while the court looks at the case.
Mark
And the judge leaned on Trump's posts?
Mimi
Yes. She wrote that they indicate the plan is final and that the Park Service will close the park to carry it out. She said both points favor the plaintiffs.
Luke
Worth being careful there. The posts are evidence the judge cited for this restraining order. That's not a final finding that the plan is unlawful.
Mark
What changed in her stance? She'd been reluctant before.
Mimi
October. The administration cut trees over a holiday weekend with little notice to her or the plaintiffs. Officials said it was part of a 2019 plan, and she confronted them over what she portrayed as deceitful actions.
Luke
Note that's her characterization. The government's position is that the cutting was already recommended in the 2019 plan.
Mark
What are the plaintiffs worried about?
Mimi
That the renovation would change an accessible public course and make it unaffordable.
Luke
Trump denies that, and the reporting doesn't give us pricing or details of the plan. That part is unresolved, and the White House hasn't commented yet.
Mark
So what happens next?
Mimi
The two weeks run out. Then it depends on whether she extends the order.
Der Puls
- A federal judge halted the shutdown of East Potomac Golf Links just one day before its gates were set to close for fifteen months.
- The order is a two-week restraining order, so the clock is already ticking toward a decision on whether the closure proceeds.
- Judge Ana Reyes relied on Trump's Truth Social posts, calling the plan final, as evidence that favors the plaintiffs.
- Plaintiffs warn the renovation will strip an accessible public course of its character and put it out of reach for ordinary players.
- The White House has not responded, and the outcome now hinges on whether the restraining order is extended and how the broader lawsuit unfolds.
On the eve of a planned fifteen-month shutdown, a federal judge in Washington paused the closure of East Potomac Golf Links, a century-old public course on federal land that the president has promised to transform into a venue for major professional tournaments. The judge, Ana Reyes, granted a two-week reprieve, and in doing so leaned on the president's own public words, which she read as proof that the renovation plan is settled and that the park will indeed be closed to carry it out. It is one more chapter in a longer human contest over who gets to shape a shared public space, and whether a promise made loudly in public can be held to account in a courtroom.
On Saturday, a day before East Potomac Golf Links was scheduled to shut its gates for 15 months, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes stepped in. Her temporary restraining order holds off the closure for two weeks, buying time for a legal fight that has grown more tense as the administration moves forward with its plans for the capital.
The course sits on federally owned land in East Potomac Park and has served Washington's public golfers for more than a century. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump announced a "historic renovation" meant to prepare it for major professional events. The plaintiffs argue the changes would alter the character of an accessible public course and make it unaffordable. The president disagrees.
The judge's ruling turned, in part, on the president's own words. He has nicknamed the course "Trash Island," and in a Saturday post he called it the "worst" course in the world, describing dangerous conditions. Reyes wrote that his posts signal the renovation plan is final and that the Park Service will close the park to carry it out, and she said both points favor the plaintiffs.
The judge had long been hesitant to halt work, but her stance shifted in October after a holiday-weekend tree-cutting effort carried out with little notice. Officials defended the removals as part of a 2019 plan, but Reyes accused the administration of deceptive conduct about its intentions.
The golf course is one of several capital projects Trump has championed, alongside a memorial arch, a White House ballroom, and the Kennedy Center. The restraining order is temporary, and what comes next will depend on whether it is extended and how the lawsuit proceeds.
On Saturday, a day before East Potomac Golf Links was due to shut its gates for 15 months, a federal judge ordered the closure delayed. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued a temporary restraining order that holds off the shutdown for two weeks.
The course sits on federally owned land in East Potomac Park and has been part of Washington's public golf scene for more than a century. In May, President Donald Trump announced it would undergo a "historic renovation" meant to prepare it to host major professional golf events.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit argue that the plan would change the character of an accessible public course and make it unaffordable. The president denies that. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling.
Trump's own words figured in the decision. He has nicknamed the course "Trash Island," and on Saturday he used the name again in a Truth Social post calling it the "worst" course in the world. He described its conditions as "very dangerous" and attached photos of what appears to be the course in poor shape. "The Fairways are far too close together," he wrote, adding that walking the corridors of Trash Island you don't hear the running Potomac, only people screaming "FORE!"
Reyes wrote that Trump's posts created a problem for the government. In her words, they indicate that the Washington National Plan is final and that the National Park Service will close the park to carry it out. "Both points favor granting Plaintiffs' motion for another temporary restraining order," she wrote.
The ruling follows months of hesitation from the judge, who was nominated by Joe Biden. She had been reluctant to grant the plaintiffs' requests for work stoppages, even as they argued the administration was pressing ahead with project work despite the pending lawsuit. That changed in October, prompted in part by a tree-cutting spree the administration carried out over a holiday weekend with little notice to the judge or the plaintiffs.
Officials and government lawyers said the tree work was part of a 2019 plan that recommended the cutting. Reyes responded by confronting the administration over what she portrayed as deceitful conduct regarding its intentions for the project. She has also repeatedly voiced frustration at being asked to rule on minute planning details, including the felling of trees in the 106-year-old park.
The golf course is one of several projects in the capital that Trump has championed to reshape the city, among them a large memorial arch, a White House ballroom and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The order is temporary. What to watch is whether Reyes extends it when the two weeks run out, and how the underlying lawsuit proceeds.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Both points favor granting Plaintiffs' motion for another temporary restraining order.— U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes
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