A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to stop tree-cutting at a historic Washington golf course through Oct. 26 after weekend removals drew a sharp rebuke from the bench.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes on Tuesday halted further tree removal at East Potomac Golf Course in Washington, D.C., pending more court action, Breitbart News reported.
The order followed a tense three-hour Monday hearing in which Reyes faulted the government for weekend work after thin advance notice and said the episode had destroyed her trust.
At least 400 trees came down over the holiday weekend. Plans had called for several hundred more as part of a broader renovation of the public course in a historic park.
President Donald Trump has pushed to remake the city’s public courses into a world-class venue that can draw top events. Preservationists sued to stop the work. The temporary freeze keeps the fight in court through late October.
Reyes first ordered a 24-hour pause on Monday that could stretch to 14 days if needed. She limited it to one day while the government tried to locate a key administration official, then extended the freeze on Tuesday through Oct. 26.
Just the News reported the one-day stop came after the hearing in which the judge accused the government of deceiving her with holiday-weekend actions.
During that session she imposed a standing notice rule for the period covered by her order. The government, she said, must give the court and the plaintiffs three business days of written warning before any irreversible change to a permanent form or feature of the course.
"must provide the court and plaintiffs three business days’ written advance notice prior to making any irreparable modification to any permanent form or feature of the East Potomac Golf Course."
Reyes made plain she had already shown patience. In earlier emergency hearings, including one in May while she was out of the country, she declined temporary stop orders and trusted the government’s lawyer.
"Every single time I have given the government the benefit of the doubt and every single time I made absolutely clear that I want notice,"
Then came the weekend cutting. Her verdict on credibility was blunt.
"What has happened has cost the government all credibility with me."
The National Park Service filed a court notice only minutes before the close of business on Oct. 9, a holiday weekend. Tree-cutting followed. Reyes pressed the government on why massive removal had to happen on that schedule with so little warning.
Biden-appointed Judge Ana C. Reyes later blocked additional removals after hundreds of trees were already gone, the Washington Examiner reported, keeping the temporary bar in place while the dispute over renovation plans continued.
Plaintiffs in the case are the DC Preservation League and two local golfers. Democracy Forward is co-counsel. The group framed the weekend pace as a “mad rush” to turn a public recreation space into a high-end course and cheered the bench for stepping in.
"We are pleased that the court intervened and will prevent additional work while we seek more lasting relief,"
Their lawsuit aims to stop the renovation plans altogether. The Oct. 26 date now sets the next checkpoint before any further cutting or lasting court relief.
Trump began talking about the city’s public courses in late 2025. The East Potomac project sits alongside other city remake efforts he has backed, including a $400 million White House ballroom and a planned triumphal arch.
In a June social media post he cast the finished course as a venue fit for the biggest stages in the sport.
"When completed, this Course will have the ability to host Major Golf Tournaments, including The U.S. Open, The Ryder Cup, The PGA Championship, and other top PGA Tour events,"
That is the core of the administration’s case for the work: take an existing public course in a historic park and raise it to championship standard so major events can come to the capital. The Park Service moved on tree removal as part of that rebuild. Opponents call the same steps an irreversible hit to a historic landscape and want the courts to lock it down.
Reyes had previously declined short-term blocks when she credited the government’s word on notice. The Oct. 9 filing and the holiday cutting changed that posture. She ordered the pause, demanded three business days’ written warning before any irreparable change, and set Oct. 26 as the next hard stop while the larger case proceeds.
No full case caption or docket number appears in the available reporting. The two local golfer plaintiffs are not named. Exact counts beyond “at least 400” trees already cut, and “several hundred more” once planned, remain open. So does the identity of the administration official the government sought during Monday’s hearing.
What is fixed for now is the calendar. Tree work at East Potomac stays frozen through Oct. 26. Any later move that would permanently alter the course requires three business days’ written notice to the court and the plaintiffs. The renovation fight, and the larger argument over how far a president may go to upgrade D.C.’s public amenities, stays in front of Reyes.
Taxpayers deserve first-rate public courses that can host real championships. Courts should not become a permanent veto for groups that prefer the status quo to a stronger capital city.
