A federal judge extended an order blocking tree removal from a Washington, DC golf course President Donald Trump is seeking to renovate, while imposing new notice requirements on any other major changes the administration seeks to make on the golf course grounds.
The new 70-page opinion from US District Judge Ana Reyes cited Trump’s own statements about his plans for East Potomac Golf Course.
The judge said she was forced to act now in the long-simmering dispute – which came to a head in recent weeks because the administration cut down 400-plus trees on the grounds with little notice – “because the Government did what it assured all it would not do.”
The ruling is a major setback for Trump’s efforts to turn the beloved but modest public golf course into a championship level course. It also sets the stage for an appeals court battle in a case that had produced sharp confrontations between the administration and the judiciary.
