Judge temporarily blocks closure of Washington golf course and park

A federal judge has temporarily barred the Trump administration from closing East Potomac Park and its public golf course in Washington, stopping a planned 15-month shutdown while a challenge to the site’s redevelopment continues.

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued the order Saturday, before East Potomac Golf Links was due to close. It bars the government from closing the park and course during their usual daily hours through Nov. 28, 2026, unless the court orders otherwise. The administration need not actively manage either site or operate the golf course, and it may make repairs subject to existing notice requirements.

In her 30-page decision, Reyes said the government had violated at least two federal laws “to meet an arbitrary deadline.” The BBC reported that she found the administration’s justifications for the proposed course closures pretextual.

“The Government proposes to close a historic park, daily enjoyed by Washingtonians of all stripes, indefinitely,” Reyes wrote. The closure, she said, ran counter to the public interest in using national parkland. Although golf operations need not continue, the government “cannot use the absence of golf operations as a reason to exclude the public,” she added.

President Donald Trump has said the redevelopment would create “one of the Best and Most Spectacular Golf Courses anywhere in the World” and a public facility capable of hosting world-class tournaments. He has described the existing course as dilapidated and cited dangerous trees and a hazardous seawall. In a Saturday social media post, Trump said Washington-area residents would receive a 50% discount on rates charged at the redeveloped course.

The plaintiffs — the DC Preservation League and two local golfers — argue that the plan would change the character of the accessible course and make it unaffordable. Trump denies that claim. Their lawsuit, filed in February, challenges the redevelopment under federal laws and regulations.

The Justice Department said Saturday that the ruling does not prevent planning for a “world class golf course” from continuing. It also said Reyes acknowledged that the National Park Service can restrict access where the public faces a risk of harm. “The Department of Justice will always vociferously defend the Trump Administration’s agenda in court,” the department said.

Catherine Carroll, a senior legal adviser at Democracy Forward, which represents the plaintiffs, welcomed the order. “The administration’s inexplicable drive to destroy East Potomac Park would have taken away a treasured park that could never be replaced,” she said.

The dispute intensified in October after the National Park Service cut down hundreds of trees at the site. Reyes subsequently restricted further tree removal and required advance notice of other permanent changes. She has also opened an inquiry into whether government lawyers misled the court or violated ethical rules and plans to use an independent third party to conduct it. The Justice Department sought her removal from the case, a request she denied.

The 106-year-old course sits about 2 miles south of the White House. The park also contains other golf facilities and recreational areas used by cyclists and runners.