DOJ Seeks Judge Recusal in East Potomac Golf Court Fight

A federal judge overseeing the fight over East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, D.C., declined to recuse herself Monday after the Department of Justice requested she step aside, then adjourned a seven-hour hearing without ruling on the course's future. Judge Ana Reyes is weighing whether to stop or limit Interior Department work on the 330-acre park, which includes the historic Blue Course.

Why did the DOJ seek Reyes' recusal?

The department argued Reyes had violated norms of judicial impartiality, a request Trump echoed in a Truth Social post calling her findings into question. Reyes remained on the case and continued to press government witnesses and lawyers during the hearing, which included testimony from Interior Department official Gregory Wischer and acting National Park Service Director Jessica Bowron.

What has Trump said about the redesign?

In social media posts Sunday and Monday, Trump said Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and golf course architect Tom Fazio had developed a plan for a "World Class Championship Golf Course" on the East Potomac site, with construction closing the course Nov. 15 for roughly 15 months. He said the work did not require government approval. The DOJ has maintained in court that no final site plan has been approved, a position Reyes pressed both sides on repeatedly during the hearing.

What is the dispute over the felled trees?

More than 400 trees were cleared from the Blue Course on Oct. 10. The DOJ has argued the removal stemmed from a 2019 Cultural Landscape Report recommending tree management at East Potomac, Rock Creek and Langston, D.C.'s three municipal courses, rather than from plans for a new championship layout. Wischer testified the felled trees were overgrown saplings rather than mature specimen trees.

Reyes has made clear she sees the Blue Course as more than a golf hole: it was among the first public courses desegregated in the U.S. and carries historic-landmark protection.

The Blue Course, an 18-hole Walter J. Travis design dating to the 1920s, is a protected historic landmark. Reyes noted its significance from the bench, telling a defense lawyer the case was about more than a golf course design. She said she still was weighing whether to stop or curtail the Interior Department's work and did not set a timeline for a ruling.