Judge Blocks Trump's Renovation Plan for East Potomac Muni

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's plan to renovate East Potomac Golf Links, the century-old municipal course on Washington, D.C.'s Hains Point, after finding the government misled the court about its intentions. U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes issued the preliminary injunction Monday in a 70-page opinion.

What did the judge find?

Reyes wrote that government lawyers had told the court the course work underway was routine maintenance, while the administration was simultaneously moving forward with a full redesign. National Park Service crews felled more than 400 trees at East Potomac over the Oct. 10 weekend, which the government described as restoration work tied to a 2019 landscape report rather than preparation for the new design. Reyes said she saw "no universe" in which the tree removal, Trump's announcement of a Nov. 15 closure and the public unveiling of new course plans were unconnected.

What does the injunction require?

The order bars the government from any action that could indirectly destroy trees, including staging heavy equipment, and requires at least 10 days' notice before closing the course or making any "irreversible modification" to its landforms, vegetation, design, hydrology, pathways or structures. The government must also disclose any planned work, who authorized it, and whether it connects to the broader renovation.

The injunction pauses the construction, not the argument over whether it should happen at all.

What is Trump's response?

Trump told reporters Monday night, "It has the go-ahead," adding that he plans to appeal. On Tuesday he posted on Truth Social that the course is "extremely dangerous" to play because its fairways run too close together, and said the Nov. 15 closure would proceed as scheduled for a rebuild designed by architect Tom Fazio.

What would the new design change?

Plans Trump posted Oct. 18 show East Potomac's current three courses — an 18-hole Blue course, a 9-hole White course and a 9-hole, par-3 Red course — consolidated into a single 18-hole layout spanning Hains Point shoreline to shoreline, along with a new clubhouse and driving range. The redesign would remove Ohio Drive, a path used by walkers and cyclists, a century-old grove of cherry trees, and a historic mini-golf course. The D.C. Preservation League and two golfers are suing over the plan, arguing the work would cause irreversible damage to a course that has hosted public golf for more than 100 years.