15-month closure set for East Potomac Golf Links as Trump plans hit court

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes questioned Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. on Friday regarding the imminent shutdown of East Potomac Golf Links. The hearing addressed plans to convert the historic course near the National Mall into a championship-level facility. The Justice Department filed notice Wednesday confirming the administration intends to submit a design by Tom Fazio to the National Capital Planning Commission on October 30.

The legal dispute traces back to a series of Truth Social posts by President Donald Trump beginning on October 18. Those posts announced the reconfiguration and a 15-month closure for construction work. The announcement created immediate friction in the courts. Officials from the Interior Department, the Justice Department, and the National Park Service initially struggled to confirm the existence of these plans. Reyes eventually ordered Friday's hearing after the Justice Department validated the timeline in a late Wednesday filing.

Woodward testified that the specific plans to close the course emerged only this week. During the exchange, he initially cited tree cutting as part of the closure preparation. Reyes noted that the tree cutting had occurred earlier in the month. She allowed him to correct the record, stating the tree work was not part of the planned 15-month closure. Reyes indicated she would appoint a special master to investigate the administration's previous statements to the court.

A second case concerning executive authority is proceeding in a nearby courtroom. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan is reviewing a motion to halt construction on a proposed memorial arch. The arch would stand 250 feet tall, making it 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty. The project site is located less than three miles from the golf course. Plaintiffs, including a group of veterans and an architectural historian, argue that Congress must endorse the project before construction begins.

The plaintiffs requested a preliminary injunction to stop the government from starting work on Memorial Circle. They argued that allowing construction to proceed would create a fait accompli before the court issues a final determination. The hearing before Chutkan is scheduled to address a motion to call a temporary halt to plans to begin construction as early as November 5.

Legal experts describe these lawsuits as tests of presidential power. David Super, a law professor at the Georgetown University Law Center, noted that past administrations generally attempted to act within legal boundaries. He observed that the current administration appears willing to take actions that may be legally questionable if it believes the federal courts will not stop them. Super said this approach could do long-term damage to the country.

The two projects are part of a broader effort to reshape federal areas near the National Mall and along the Potomac River. The golf course hearing focused on the urgency of the timeline. The arch hearing focuses on the legal requirement for congressional approval. Both cases are proceeding as the midterm elections approach.