A Biden-appointed federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on Monday, prohibiting the Trump administration from removing more trees at East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, D.C.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes determined the administration likely violated federal environmental law, as argued by the plaintiffs, by cutting down trees at the golf course without conducting an environmental review on the renovation plan.
“Plaintiffs will be imminently and irreparably harmed if the Court does not act,” Reyes wrote. “And there is no equitable reason to permit the Government to continue removing trees pending litigation given its conceded lack of any urgency to do so.”
The National Park Service, which falls under the Interior Department, planned to implement President Donald Trump’s vision of turning the public course into an 18-hole championship venue. Before the judge intervened, the agency removed hundreds of trees to pave the way for construction next month. Officials intended to cut more trees until Reyes halted the project to consider the legal challenge brought by the DC Preservation League and two longtime golfers.
In addition to barring further tree removal, the order requires the federal government to provide a written notice 10 days in advance of “any irreparable modification to any forms or features of East Potomac Park.”
The indefinite block means Trump likely won’t see the planned restoration work on the golf course start by Nov. 15.
The preliminary injunction arrived hours before the judge’s temporary restraining order was set to expire, and it will remain in effect until a final judgment is given. The Department of Justice may appeal the latest order.
Federal attorneys have sparred with Reyes during contentious court hearings, where the judge rebuked government lawyers for failing to notify the court before the initial wave of tree removal occurred earlier this month. Meanwhile, the DOJ has accused Reyes of exemplifying judicial bias against the administration.
In her memorandum opinion, Reyes expressed her frustrations with the government’s representations about the legal dispute, saying the DOJ has either rarely or never “urged a federal court not to believe the sitting President.” There were apparent conflicting accounts between the DOJ and Trump that Reyes questioned. She also wondered whether the DOJ intentionally failed to notify the court before plaintiffs filed their emergency request.
“The Government appears to have set the timing of the tree removal and late notice to impede Plaintiffs’ ability to seek Court intervention,” the Biden appointee said. “And its recent actions call into question other representations it has made to the Court over these many months.”
Reyes ended the preliminary injunction with an amusing statement, referencing a past comment she made about not comparing herself to Dr. Seuss’s Lorax character.
“The Court earlier stated, ‘I am not the Lorax. I do not speak for the trees,'” she wrote. “The Court still does not speak for the trees. It speaks only for the rule of law.”
JUDGE WALKS BACK ‘UNTENABLE’ ORDER AGAINST TRUMP DOJ AFTER TENSE DC GOLF COURSE HEARING
Democracy Forward, which is one of the legal organizations representing the plaintiffs, praised the judge’s ruling.
“We are grateful the court intervened to prevent this lawless administration from making further irreversible changes to this precious public space,” the group said in a statement. “East Potomac Park is an important part of our history and our laws prevent this administration from depriving the public of this space without a fair and public process. We are eager to continue to argue this case in court.”
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
