Judge in DC golf course case orders new hearing after Trump appears to ignore stop-work order

The project is one of several major renovations in D.C. to attract legal scrutiny, along with the construction of the White House ballroom and the renovation of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

By Ben Whedon

Published: October 28, 2026 11:29am

Updated: October 28, 2026 12:09pm

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered a new hearing on President Donald Trump's plan to convert a beloved public golf course into a world-class venue after he appeared to deny her stop-work order and say the project will start as scheduled.

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes ordered the new hearing after granting a preliminary injunction Monday requested by a preservationist group and group of local D.C. golfers asking her to stop the Trump administration from cutting down trees at the park as part of the redevelopment project.

The president’s apparent plan to go forward with the project in East Potomac Park came hours after Reyes's ruling, when he posted on socia media: “We will immediately appeal this decision. When completed, it is anticipated that this Course, which will be open to the Public, at a reduced rate for those living in Washington, D.C., will be one of the finest anywhere in the World.”

Trump plans to start renovating Nov. 15. He has called Reyes's rulings "unconstitutionl." The next hearing will occur Friday or Monday, according to The Hill newspaper.

The hearing in which Reyes granted the injunction followed the National Park Service cutting down at least 430 healthy trees at the East Potomac Golf Links over the Columbus Day holiday weekend, without advanced notice.

"I am at a total loss to understand what has happened here other than ... the government intended to do precisely what it has done," which is delay informing the plaintiffs and the court of impending action so they could put a plan in place to raze hundreds of trees, Reyes told Justice Department lawyer Marissa Piropato.