FILE PHOTO: National Park Service employees cut down a tree ahead of possible additional renovations at East Potomac Golf Course in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 29, 2026. REUTERS/Daniel Heuer/File Photo
President Donald Trump's Justice Department wasted no time trying to salvage his plans for a historic Washington golf course after a judge blocked them.
On Tuesday, the DOJ filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, challenging U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes' order granting a preliminary injunction in the fight over East Potomac Golf Links. Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. signed the filing alongside attorneys from the department's Environment and Natural Resources Division.
Reyes issued the injunction Monday. It bars the Trump administration from removing or damaging any more trees at the course and requires 10 business days' written notice before any irreparable changes to East Potomac Park while the case plays out, NBC News reported. The order came two weeks after the government cut down more than 400 trees over the Columbus Day holiday weekend.
In her ruling, Reyes pointed to Trump's own Truth Social posts, which contradicted sworn testimony from government employees and arguments from senior Justice Department attorneys.
"Rarely, if ever, has the United States Department of Justice urged a federal court not to believe the sitting President," Reyes wrote. "And yet, here we are."
The judge also concluded in her 70-page opinion that the Trump administration likely violated environmental laws, according to reporting by ABC News.
Trump fired back late Monday, vowing an immediate appeal and insisting the course would still close Nov. 15 for renovations. He complained that giving advance notice to a judge with "no expertise in Golf, Architecture, Landscaping, Construction" was unfair and unconstitutional, CNN reported.
At a gaggle with reporters after his Mississippi rally Monday night, Trump also mocked Reyes as an "architectural critic of golf courses," ABC News reported.
On Tuesday, Reyes gave the Trump administration roughly 24 hours to clarify whether a plan exists to close the golf course and how it squares with what its lawyers previously told her, according to reporting by NPR.
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