East Potomac Golf Course: Federal court orders status hearing after renovation confirmation

The Justice Department filed a notice on Wednesday night confirming that President Donald Trump’s plan to close the East Potomac Golf Course on November 15 is operational. The filing resolved a dispute between the executive branch and the court regarding whether the president’s public announcements matched the agency's actual plans.

The timeline for the project accelerated rapidly in October. On October 18, Trump posted on social media that the park would close for 15 months to begin renovation into a world-class facility. Two days later, on October 26, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued a preliminary injunction. The order followed testimony from National Park Service, Interior Department, and Justice Department officials who stated they had no prior knowledge of the plans the president announced.

The preliminary injunction bars the government from removing or damaging additional trees on the course. It also requires the administration to provide 10 days of written notice before making any irreversible modifications to the site while the lawsuit is active. The government must now explain to the court why the president continued to announce specific plans that agency officials claimed they did not know about.

Wednesday’s filing details a new lease agreement with the National Links Trust, the current operator of the course. Under this agreement, the trust will stop operating the East Potomac Golf Course by the close of business on or before November 15. The trust will continue to operate two other public golf courses. The National Park Service will submit a rendering designed by Tom Fazio to the National Capital Planning Commission on October 30.

The planning commission is scheduled to review the design at its December 3 meeting. The design aims for a championship-level course capable of hosting major events such as the U.S. Open. Judge Reyes ordered Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. to appear in court on Friday for a status hearing. She also required at least one person from the Department of the Interior's Office of the Solicitor with prior experience on the case to attend.

On Wednesday, Trump posted on Truth Social that the course is highly dangerous and dilapidated. He stated that local golfers have begged for the facility to be brought into pristine condition. The DC Preservation League and two golfers filed the lawsuit challenging the plans, arguing the work inflicts irreversible damage and makes playing unaffordable for the general public.

The renovation is part of a larger push to alter Washington's historic landscape, which includes a White House ballroom and a memorial arch in West Potomac Park. Several judges have issued injunctions in response to the administration's push to begin work despite pending lawsuits. The current case is one of two major projects facing imminent court dates this week.