The legal dispute began in February, when the DC Preservation League and others sued over redevelopment plans for the park.
The historic course, located about 2 miles (3km) south of the White House, is one of three public courses operated by the National Park Service in the nation’s capital.
The case escalated in October when the NPS began cutting down hundreds of trees without notifying Judge Reyes until 15 hours before the work was scheduled to begin.
After the trees were cut, Reyes ordered the Trump administration to halt tree removal until at least 26 October and to provide her with three business days’ notice before making any other permanent changes.
Despite the work stoppage, Trump announced that the course would be closed for 15 months starting 15 November to accommodate the renovations. He also shared a rendering of the redesigned course.
“The current Course is old, broken, dilapidated, and of no further use or effect. It is in very poor condition, with falling, dangerous, and disease-infested trees and, importantly, a collapsing and hazardous seawall,” he said in a post on Truth Social.
Reyes has since separately opened an inquiry into whether Justice Department attorneys “have made misrepresentations to the court and otherwise violated ethical rules.”
That inquiry includes whether giving the court late notice about the renovation plans was “done in bad faith” and whether the attorneys failed to correct previously false statements or withheld information.
She said she would conduct the inquiry with a special master, an independent third party.
