Judge Reyes Signals Injunction on Trump Golf Plan After 400-Tree Cutting
Updated
Updated · lawdork.com · Oct 20
Judge Reyes Signals Injunction on Trump Golf Plan After 400-Tree Cutting
3 articles · Updated · lawdork.com · Oct 20
Summary
A daylong hearing left Judge Ana Reyes signaling she may extend an injunction to halt more tree cutting at East Potomac and force advance notice before any major work on Trump's golf-course overhaul.
Gregory Wischer, the Interior deputy chief of staff, acknowledged receiving renovation renderings on his personal phone from Trump allies, undercutting the government's claim that the Oct. 10 tree felling was solely tied to a 2019 Park Service report.
DOJ lawyers argued Trump's Truth Social posts ordering work "IMMEDIATELY" and a Nov. 15 closure did not amount to final agency action, but Reyes repeatedly pressed them over shifting positions and thin precedent.
The fight escalated after the government gave Oct. 9 notice of a tree-management plan, hundreds of trees were cut the next day, and Reyes imposed a temporary restraining order on Oct. 13.
Reyes also cited reported death threats tied to the case, underscoring how a dispute over one historic D.C. golf course has become a broader test of judicial authority against Trump's administration.