Judge Halts Trump’s Plan to Shut Park for Golf Course Project
Caalamka
A showdown over one of Washington’s most popular green spaces has landed in federal court, after a judge ordered East Potomac Park to stay open even as President Donald Trump’s administration moved to shut it down for golf course renovations.
Mr Trump, an avid golfer who owns courses around the world, wants to remake East Potomac Golf Links — a public course known for affordable rates — into a venue capable of hosting major championship-calibre events.
To start construction, the Trump administration called for East Potomac Park — the 395-acre park that houses the course — to close on 15 November.
That plan was halted by a lawsuit from an environmental group challenging the project. US District Judge Ana Reyes granted a temporary restraining order, requiring that the park remain open for now while the case proceeds through the courts.
Donald Trump rebuked that ruling and insisted his legal team would appeal the decision
“The Government proposes to close a historic park, daily enjoyed by Washingtonians of all stripes, indefinitely,” Judge Reyes wrote in the 30-page ruling. “This closure would irreparably harm Plaintiffs, who use the Park regularly for recreational activities.”
Judge Reyes has previously ruled against early demolition work tied to the project, including the cutting down of more than 500 trees along the course.
Mr Trump rebuked that ruling and insisted his legal team would appeal the decision.
“The judge has absolutely no right to hold up this very important and beautiful Project,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The East Potomac effort is one of several projects Mr Trump has launched in a bid to put his personal stamp on the US capital — including a White House ballroom and a massive triumphal arch — moves that have drawn fierce local opposition and sparked multiple legal challenges.
