Judge halts tree removal at Trump's DC golf course after 500 trees cut
Judge Ana Reyes ordered a pause in tree removal at East Potomac Golf Links, where more than 500 trees were cut on Saturday, 10 October, and questioned how the government notified the court.
Trees cut and a late notice
Kevin Griess, superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks, said in a sworn declaration filed Friday, 9 October, that crews would begin by removing 169 trees on Saturday, 10 October, with 90 more expected to follow. Justice Department lawyers formally notified the court of the plan just before 5 p.m. on Friday, 9 October. Field inspections were set to bring the eventual total to 529 trees, according to the declaration. The plaintiffs said government lawyers told them on Sunday, 11 October, that the operation had proceeded "faster than anticipated" and had exhausted the original list in a single day. More than 500 trees were cut down on Saturday, and the plaintiffs said the Park Service had undercounted the trees and that hundreds more were now slated for removal. Rain on Sunday was the only thing that prevented more trees from coming down, the plaintiffs said. The administration has described the clearing as "routine maintenance", but Reyes' order states that tree removal for routine maintenance is not exempt from it.
- First phase, from Saturday
- 169 trees
- Additional trees expected to follow
- 90 trees
- Eventual total after field inspections
- 529 trees
Emergency motion and Monday hearing
Late on Sunday, 11 October, the D.C. Preservation League and two golfers asked U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes for a temporary restraining order barring further removals for 14 days, along with three business days' written notice before any irreversible changes. Reyes then held an unusual holiday hearing on Monday, 12 October, that stretched to almost four hours. She said the cutting violated an understanding with Justice Department lawyers that no renovation work would proceed without giving the court time to address it, and she said she was furious. The lawyers, in her account, had "lost credibility" by defying her clear instructions.
I trusted you all not to do precisely what you have done.
Reyes went on to deliver her sharpest rebuke in the same hearing.
There is no excuse for this.
Reyes ordered a halt. One account describes a 24-hour pause while she decides on the emergency request, and another says removals must stop until at least 7 a.m. on Tuesday, 13 October. She also wants Kevin Griess to answer questions about the timeline for the removal and who ordered the work.
- Justice Department notifies the court just before 5 p.m. of a planned removal of 169 trees, with 90 more to follow
- More than 500 trees are cut down on Saturday at East Potomac Golf Links
- Plaintiffs file an emergency motion on Sunday night, and rain stops further cutting
- Judge Reyes holds a hearing that stretches to almost four hours and halts removals
- The halt on tree removal lasts until at least 7 a.m. unless the court orders otherwise
Trump's plan for the course
Donald Trump, a passionate golfer, wants to renovate the course, which he says is in poor condition, and he has argued that it could host large tournaments. The plan is part of his wider effort to remake Washington, which has included tearing down storied structures, renaming others and deploying the National Guard since early 2025. Trump has visited the course with a cabinet member, a well-known golf course architect and blueprints. Residents fear the changes will bring costlier fees and a loss of public space at a course that has served Washingtonians of all income levels for more than a century. Democrats accuse Trump of wasting public money, and many of his projects face legal challenges, including a White House ballroom that required a whole wing of the residence to be torn down.
What happens next
Skye Perryman, president and chief executive of Democracy Forward, which represents the plaintiffs, criticised the move in strong terms.
We are asking the court to act quickly before further unnecessary damage is done to a jewel of our national park system.
The plaintiffs said the Park Service produced a supplemental environmental document on Sunday explaining that its original inventory had missed hundreds of additional trees. An Interior Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the court had not ruled on the request on Sunday night. A final decision on the tree removals is still pending, and the halt runs until at least 7 a.m. on Tuesday, 13 October, unless the court orders otherwise.
