A federal judge has once again blocked President Donald Trump’s takeover of a public golf course in Washington, D.C.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes ordered the National Park Service Monday to halt all tree removal on the East Potomac Golf Links, after the agency cut down dozens of trees over the weekend.
In a court filing Friday, the Department of the Interior declared its intention to cut down more than 500 trees “that do not contribute to the historic landscape.” Its plans included shearing 169 trees from one “heavily overgrown” area on Saturday alone.
Reyes blocked that plan Monday until 7:00 a.m. the following day or until she issues another order. She will also hear an emergency request Monday from a group of preservationists for a 14-day restraining order on tree removal at the course.
The tree clearing is part of a plan to transform the public golf course into an exclusive, high-end one. The venture is just one of the many expensive renovation projects the president has set on in the capital region—without receiving any congressional or legal approval.
In May, Reyes pumped the brakes on the renovation plans after the D.C. Preservation League intervened to stop tree removal. The group has good reason not to trust the Trump administration after the president demolished the White House’s East Wing and made clear his intentions to destroy the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts because he wasn’t allowed to plaster his name onto it.