Judge Ana Reyes blocks Trump's DC golf overhaul after 430 trees were cleared; Trump says he'll appeal

A federal judge in Washington has blocked President Donald Trump's administration from cutting or substantially pruning any more trees at East Potomac Park, or from making irreversible changes to the public golf course there, after the government cleared 430 trees with less than a day's notice. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued the preliminary injunction on Monday, October 26, in a 70-page opinion, according to NPR. Trump responded on Truth Social that Interior will appeal and that construction will start on November 15 regardless.

What the order does

• It extends an earlier two-week halt on tree removal and bars further alterations to East Potomac Park.
• The government may not cut, "substantially prune," or otherwise damage trees without a court order.
• It requires at least ten business days' written notice before closing the park or making any "irreversible modification."
• It is a preliminary injunction. The case on the merits continues, and the order is not a final ruling.

Why Judge Reyes ruled this way

• The plan was already final. She found a renovation plan, the "Washington National Plan," became final "well before October 15, 2026."
• The tree-clearing rationale was a pretext. The government said it removed 430 trees over a holiday weekend for reasons unrelated to the renovation, citing a 2019 National Park Service report. Reyes called that justification "pretextual."
• A witness was not credible. She found Gregory Wischer, a deputy chief of staff at Interior, not credible.
• The president's words count. She rejected the government's argument that the president's and Interior Secretary's posts were a "handful of tweets."
• Environmental law. She found Interior likely violated the National Environmental Policy Act by "impermissibly segmenting" its review, and rejected a new argument under the Administrative Procedure Act presented the week before, saying parties cannot change course "whenever and however the evidence suits them."

Trump's posts versus the government's testimony

On the morning of the hearing, Trump posted that work would begin "immediately." Hours later, administration officials testified under oath that they knew of no final plan. Justice Department lawyers then urged the court not to believe the president, something Reyes wrote is "rarely, if ever" done. In July, officials had acknowledged that major renovations would require federal environmental and historic preservation reviews. Reyes had also rejected the administration's earlier request that she step aside for alleged bias.

Who sued

The plaintiffs are the D.C. Preservation League and two local golfers, represented by Democracy Forward in DC Preservation League v. Department of Interior. Skye Perryman, the group's president, praised the ruling.

Trump's response and the plan

Trump said on Truth Social that Interior will appeal, that construction will begin on November 15 with the park closed for 15 months, and that the judge "has absolutely no right" to delay the project and lacks expertise in golf and construction. He said the redeveloped course would host events such as the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup and be open to the public at reduced rates for D.C. residents. His rendering shows three courses merged, which NPR notes could remove the perimeter road used by runners and cyclists.

What happens next

• Reyes gave the government about 24 hours from Tuesday afternoon to clarify whether a mid-November closure plan exists and how it fits with what it told the court.
• A status hearing is expected Friday or Monday.
• Interior has said it will appeal, and any request to pause the order would test the November 15 start date.

Why it matters

The case is a test of how much weight a court gives a president's public statements against sworn government testimony, and how far executive branch projects must go through environmental review before ground is broken. It also bears on a public D.C. golf course and on a perimeter road used by runners and cyclists that a redesign could change.

Sources: NPR (Rachel Treisman), published October 27, 2026, via OPB, which reports the contents of the court's opinion. We have not opened the court opinion itself. Details on the dates and appeal are as reported and may change as the case proceeds. This is news reporting, not legal advice.