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A federal judge on Monday sharply rebuked the Trump administration for what she called “inexcusable” conduct after the government removed 430 trees from a historic public golf course in Washington over the holiday weekend, despite assurances that officials would provide advance notice before major work began.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes ordered a temporary halt to further tree removal at East Potomac Golf Links and demanded answers from National Park Service officials about who authorized the work and why the court and preservationists were not given more notice.
“I’m furious,” Reyes told Justice Department attorneys during an emergency hearing.
“I trusted you all not to do precisely what you have done,” she said, adding that the government’s actions had cost it “all of its credibility.”
The confrontation marks a new escalation in a legal fight over President Donald Trump’s plans to transform the century-old municipal course into what he has described as one of the world’s greatest golf courses. The DC Preservation League, which sued to challenge the renovation plans, argues that the administration is moving ahead without completing required legal and preservation reviews.
Judge says government failed to provide adequate notice
Justice Department attorney Marissa Piropato told Reyes that the government filed notice shortly before 5 p.m. Friday, just ahead of the three-day holiday weekend. Tree removal began Saturday, and government lawyers acknowledged that 430 trees had been cut down.
Piropato said the government had done its best to notify the court and the DC Preservation League.
“You did not do your best. You did your absolute worst,” Reyes responded.
The judge said she had repeatedly assured the plaintiffs that she trusted the government to notify the court before taking irreversible steps. She said the abrupt tree removal had undermined those assurances.
Reyes had previously declined to issue a restraining order, saying she did not want to become involved in routine park management.
“I am not the Lorax. I do not speak for the trees. I am a judge,” she said at a hearing last month, invoking the Dr. Seuss character who defends the environment.
But after the weekend’s tree removal, Reyes said she had little choice but to intervene. She issued an order temporarily stopping further tree cutting and convened an emergency hearing despite the federal court holiday.
The temporary restriction was intended to give the court time to determine why the work proceeded so quickly and whether additional intervention was necessary. The judge indicated the halt could be extended as the case proceeds.
Park Service officials describe rapid rollout
Reyes questioned two National Park Service officials about the speed of the operation and the decision-making behind it.
Frank Lands, the agency’s deputy director for operations, testified that the plan came together during the previous week and that Greg Wischer, deputy chief of staff to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, directed him to begin carrying it out.
“Yes, a week is fast,” Lands said. “And I’m proud of the fact that we were able to move so quickly.”
Reyes ordered Wischer to testify, but government attorneys said they could not immediately locate him. The judge directed him to appear Tuesday and kept the temporary restrictions in place in the meantime.
Kevin Griess, superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks, told the court that officials had identified roughly 300 additional trees for removal.
The judge also questioned the government’s explanation that the work was unrelated to Trump’s proposed redesign. She noted that the National Park Service comptroller had filed a sworn statement in court on Oct. 6 saying the agency did not intend to begin significant rehabilitation work until applicable compliance requirements had been satisfied.
The apparent gap between that statement and the subsequent tree removal became a central point of contention at the hearing.
Administration says work follows a 2019 restoration plan
In a court filing, the Justice Department argued that the Interior Department was implementing recommendations from a 2019 Cultural Landscape Report intended to restore East Potomac Golf Links closer to its original design.
The administration has maintained that the tree removal is maintenance and historic-landscape restoration, rather than the start of Trump’s proposed overhaul.
The DC Preservation League disputed that explanation, arguing that the scale and timing of the work suggested it could be part of the broader redevelopment effort.
“Even if Defendants were entitled to the benefit of the doubt, they are not entitled to a suspension of disbelief,” the plaintiffs wrote in a court filing.
The group has argued that the administration should not be allowed to proceed with major changes while questions about required reviews and compliance remain unresolved.
Reyes, who was nominated to the federal bench by former President Joe Biden, said she did not want courts managing park maintenance but believed the government’s conduct required judicial scrutiny.
“I don’t think courts should be playing parks and rec,” she said.
Trump has promised a major golf course renovation
Trump announced his plans for East Potomac Golf Links in a June post on Truth Social, describing the existing course as “dilapidated, worn out, and very dangerous and outdated.”
He said the site could restore “success and prestige” to Washington and pledged that work on the new course would begin Sept. 1.
The proposed renovation has drawn opposition from preservationists concerned about the future of the historic public space and whether the administration is following the necessary procedures before making major changes.
The dispute also follows the demolition of the White House’s East Wing last year to make way for a planned ballroom. Debris from that demolition was later dumped at the golf course and used as landfill, according to reports cited in the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs have pointed to that episode as a reason for concern that the administration could make irreversible changes before legal challenges are resolved.
The golf course case remains pending, and the judge’s temporary order does not resolve the underlying dispute over the renovation plan.
White House adviser criticizes judge’s intervention
White House adviser Stephen Miller criticized Reyes’s involvement in the matter in a post on X.
“I missed the part of the Constitutional Convention that put federal judges in charge of golf course maintenance,” Miller wrote.
The exchange reflects the broader dispute over the limits of judicial oversight when the executive branch undertakes projects on federal property while litigation is underway.
For now, the administration must pause further tree removal under Reyes’s temporary order and provide additional information about how the operation was approved. The judge’s next hearing is expected to address the government’s decision-making and whether the restrictions should remain in place.
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