Judge halts closure of East Potomac Golf Links

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., issued an order on Saturday preventing the U.S. government from closing East Potomac Golf Links for renovation. US District Judge Ana Reyes ruled that the administration cannot shut down the park or its golf course beginning November 15. She specified that while the government is not required to actively manage the property, it cannot close it to the public.

The 30-page decision states that the administration’s reasons for the closure were pretextual. Reyes wrote that the government violated at least two federal laws to meet an arbitrary deadline. She noted that the closure runs counter to the public interest in using national parkland. The order remains in effect until November 28.

President Donald Trump announced the renovation plans in October. He described the 106-year-old course as Trash Island and said the 15-month project would create one of the Best and Most Spectacular Golf Courses anywhere in the World. Trump stated the new space would be open to the public while designed for world-class tournaments. He also shared a rendering of the proposed redesign.

The legal dispute began in February when the DC Preservation League and other groups sued over the redevelopment plans. East Potomac Golf Links sits two miles south of the White House. It is one of three public courses managed by the National Park Service in the capital.

Tensions escalated in October when the National Park Service cut down hundreds of trees. The agency notified Reyes only 15 hours before the work was scheduled to begin. After the trees were cut, Reyes ordered the administration to stop removal until at least October 26. She also required three business days' notice for any other permanent changes.

Reyes has opened a separate inquiry into whether Justice Department attorneys made misrepresentations to the court. She is examining if late notice about the renovation plans was done in bad faith. The judge will conduct this review with a special master, an independent third party, to determine if ethical rules were violated.