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US District Judge Ana Reyes issued a temporary restraining order on November 14 2026 preventing the Trump administration from closing East Potomac Park as planned the following day. The 30-page decision found the government’s stated safety concerns were “pretextual” and that officials had violated the National Environmental Policy Act along with the Administrative Procedure Act to meet an arbitrary deadline. “The government proposes to close a historic park daily enjoyed by Washingtonians of all stripes indefinitely” Reyes wrote in the ruling.
The order requires the riverside park near the Jefferson Memorial to remain open during its normal daily hours although the administration is not compelled to continue golf operations at the site. It explicitly bars officials from using the lack of golf activities as grounds to exclude the public from the area. This marks the latest judicial check on President Donald Trump’s initiatives to reshape multiple landmarks across the US capital.
East Potomac Golf Links which has formed part of Washington’s public golf scene for more than a century according to reports was slated for a redesign that would consolidate its 36 holes into a single 18-hole championship layout capable of hosting professional events. Trump had announced in an October social media post that the closure would last 15 months and create “one of the Best and Most Spectacular Golf Courses anywhere in the World.” The DC Preservation League and two regular golfers filed suit earlier this year arguing that the National Park Service had failed to conduct required environmental reviews or allow adequate public comment.
Reyes a judge appointed by former President Joe Biden had previously deemed the removal of more than 400 trees from the course “inexcusable” and extended an earlier block on further damage while mandating advance notice for significant alterations. Trump has publicly criticized the judge in response to her decisions. The current order remains in effect through November 28 2026 or until the court issues further direction allowing limited repairs to proceed with proper notification.
The golf course project forms one element of the administration’s wider push to redevelop prominent sites in Washington including prior attempts to alter the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts that have encountered similar legal obstacles. Safety issues cited in the closure plan had appeared in assessments dating back to May without prompting an immediate shutdown the ruling observed. Bloomberg Law noted that federal courts have issued multiple rulings against related Trump-backed construction efforts in the district.
The National Park Service manages the federally owned land at East Potomac Park and Hains Point where the administration had intended to begin the overhaul on November 15. NBC News reported that the judge stressed preserving public access to the park while litigation continues even as planning for potential redevelopment may advance. Reuters detailed how the decision highlights tensions between rapid executive timelines and statutory requirements for historic preservation and environmental compliance.
