Judge halts Trump’s 15-month closure of DC golf course until Nov. 28
What’s next: The order keeps East Potomac Park open for now as a lawsuit over federal-law violations moves ahead.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from shutting East Potomac Golf Links and parts of East Potomac Park for a planned 15-month renovation, hours before the closure was due to begin Sunday. U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes issued a temporary restraining order lasting through Nov. 28, finding the government had not shown enough harm to justify closing the historic public park while the case continues. Reyes wrote that the administration’s reasons for the closure appeared pretextual and that it had violated at least two federal laws to meet an arbitrary deadline. The dispute, brought by the DC Preservation League and others, has intensified since the National Park Service cut down hundreds of trees in October.