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World

Judge walks back own order in Trump golf-course fight after six-hour hearing

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes withdrew, hours after issuing it, her bench order demanding the Justice Department name the career attorneys behind a filing in the fight over Trump's plan to remake East Potomac Golf Links — capping a six-hour hearing of clashes with Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward.

By James Calloway · · 1 min read

Golfers and a golf cart on the Blue and Red courses at East Potomac Golf Links in Washington DC
Photo: Tim Evanson, via Wikimedia Commons

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes withdrew on Monday, hours after issuing it, her bench order demanding the Justice Department refile a brief naming the career attorneys who agreed with it, in the fight over the Trump administration’s plan to remake Washington DC’s historic East Potomac Golf Links into a championship venue.

“Having spoken with my clerks and thought about it a little bit more, I am going to withdraw the request,” Reyes said after a break. “We’ve all got better things to be spending our time on.”

The reversal capped a hearing stretching beyond six hours, marked by clashes between Reyes and Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, the DOJ’s third-ranking official. Over the weekend Woodward asked Reyes to recuse herself for alleged bias — denied Sunday evening — and filed a brief signed only by himself, which Reyes ordered resubmitted with the career attorneys’ signatures.

When Woodward told Reyes on Monday that naming the attorneys would put them in an “incredibly untenable” position, she replied: “I don’t care what you think.”

The hearing continues the case brought by the D.C. Preservation League and two golfers, who say work is proceeding on federal land without required approvals. Reyes had halted tree-cutting until Oct 26 after at least 400 trees were felled over the Columbus Day weekend. Trump plans to close the course for 15 months from Nov 15; the plaintiffs seek an extension of the pause. No preliminary injunction was issued Monday.

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