A pause on the cutting

Federal judge Ana Reyes extended on Tuesday, 13 October, her halt on tree removal at East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, D.C., keeping work frozen until 26 October. The order follows an emergency hearing on Monday, 12 October, at which Reyes sharply criticized the government for failing to notify the court and the opposing side of its plans until late on Friday, 9 October. She also requires the government to give three business days' written notice before any further "irreparable modification" to the course. A follow-up hearing is scheduled for 19 October, and the judge has ordered top officials from the Interior Department and the National Park Service to testify at it.

How the trees came down

Judge Reyes had ordered in May that the administration obtain court approval before cutting more than 10 trees at the course. According to NPR, officials notified the court just before 5 p.m. on Friday, 9 October, of plans to remove "up to 529 trees" in phases beginning Saturday. Cutting started on Saturday, 10 October, and crews had razed at least 430 trees by the end of that day according to NPR, while The New York Times put the figure at at least 400. Environmental advocates estimated that about 500 trees were felled over the weekend, with hundreds more slated for cutting later that week. The Justice Department described the work in a court filing as part of the fulfilment of a 2019 historical restoration for the site.

The judge's accusations

At the hearing, held by videoconference, Reyes told the court:

“What has happened has cost the government all of its credibility with me in this case.”

She went on to say the questions before her concerned whether she had been misled about the plans, the timing of the work and the kind of notice the court would receive. Reyes also warned that even a minor violation of her order would bring contempt proceedings. The government's notice obligations now apply to any change to the course's permanent features while the case proceeds.

Trump's plans and other projects

Trump, a keen golfer, wants to renovate the municipal course, which he has described as dilapidated, and says it could eventually host major tournaments. Since returning to the White House in January 2025, he has pursued a series of construction and renovation projects that he says will restore Washington to its former glory after years of neglect by earlier administrations. Democrats accuse him of spending taxpayer money on vanity projects, among them a White House ballroom that required demolishing an entire wing, a triumphal arch, and renovations at the Kennedy Center as Trump seeks to add his name to the arts venue. In an interview published by New York Magazine in September, Trump acknowledged the personal nature of these projects. Asked whether he was building monuments to himself because nobody would honour him after he left office, he said:

“Nobody will do it once I'm gone. When I leave here, nobody will.”

Legal challenges and residents' fears

Many of the projects face legal challenges. A lawsuit filed in February by the D.C. Preservation League and two residents calls the East Potomac takeover unlawful. Critics fear the course could go the way of the East Wing, which has already been lost. Some residents fear the changes could alter a place that has served Washingtonians of all income levels for more than a century, and they expect costlier fees and a likely loss of public space if it becomes an upscale course. The case remains before Reyes, with the next hearing set for 19 October.