A hearing in a lawsuit over President Donald Trump's renovations to the East Potomac Golf Links went off the rails almost immediately on Thursday.
According to Politico legal affairs analyst Kyle Cheney, U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes "[made] clear she's not 'parks and rec' and doesn't want to police the administration's management of trees at East Potomac golf course," adding, "I am not the Lorax, I do not speak for the trees."
Reyes, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, also made references to Alanis Morissette, "a random caller demanding her removal from the bench," and the apocryphal legend of first president George Washington cutting down a cherry tree in his youth, Cheney remarked.
Historic preservation groups sued the Trump administration for the renovations to the site intended to turn it into a championship course, citing problems including the chopping down of trees on the property. The Trump administration "says the recently chopped trees were dead, invasive or hazardous," according to Cheney.
Experts have flagged an unusual legal strategy from Trump's team, where they are essentially trying to argue that any issues with the project are "speculative" and therefore invalid grounds for a lawsuit, right up until the project is actually complete and any suit would be a moot point.
The project has already run into a number of logistical challenges, including land subsidence and water issues.