A federal judge in Washington tore into the Justice Department on Monday, saying she was "furious" after crews felled hundreds of trees over the weekend at East Potomac Golf Links — the century-old public course President Trump wants rebuilt into a championship venue.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, a Biden appointee, used an emergency hearing to grill the government's lawyers over why the tree removal went ahead without notice. Back in May, she had demanded advance warning of any substantive construction work at the course, and administration officials had repeatedly vowed not to proceed with demolition work without telling the court first.
"More than being upset and furious right now, I am just deeply disappointed in the government. On what universe did anyone in your office think this was acceptable?" — Judge Ana Reyes
"You Did Your Absolute Worst"
The removal began Friday afternoon and took down about 500 trees, with hundreds more slated to go, the preservation groups suing over the project said. Their emergency filing on Monday is what brought everyone into court.
Justice Department lawyer Marissa Piropato told the judge that government attorneys had done their best to gather details on the tree removal so they could share them in a court filing. Reyes was not having it. "You did not do your best," she replied. "You did your absolute worst." The failure to notify, she said, "has cost the government all of its credibility" in the case, adding: "Ignorance is not an excuse here. I am at a total loss to understand what has happened here."
Reyes barred any further tree-cutting before Tuesday, or until her court clears the government to proceed — and she put the penalty in plain terms: violate the order by even "two seconds," and "there are going to be contempt proceedings." She had already issued a temporary order on Sunday pausing all removal until Tuesday at 7 a.m.
The Course Behind the Fight
East Potomac Golf Links sits on federal land in the capital and is run by the National Park Service. Trump announced plans last year to overhaul the public course and rebuild it to championship standard, saying he hopes the renovation will let it host major tournaments. Preservation groups sued to stop the takeover, and the project has been tied up in court for months.
The administration says the overhaul will turn a tired public course into a venue worthy of the capital. Monday's hearing was not about whether the project can ever go ahead — it was about the government starting work the judge had told it to announce first. For now, the saws stay silent until the court speaks again.
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