The Justice Department on Friday, Oct. 16, asked U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes to remove herself from the lawsuit over East Potomac Golf Links, accusing her of bias against the Trump administration. The motion came days after Reyes sharply rebuked government lawyers when the National Park Service cut down more than 400 trees on the public course in Washington over a holiday weekend. The department wants the case moved to another judge and the audio of Monday’s hearing released. The plaintiffs oppose the request, and Reyes ordered them to respond by Sunday afternoon.
Behind the legal fight is a golf course with a history most coverage leaves out. In 1941, Black golfers forced the Interior Department to open East Potomac to everyone. Now, 85 years later, Interior officials are being called to testify about what happened to it.
What happened at East Potomac Golf Links?
Park Service crews cut more than 400 trees over the weekend before the Oct. 12 federal holiday, giving less than 24 hours’ notice, according to The New York Times. Reyes had previously told the government not to carry out surprise work on the course.
In a Friday filing, the Park Service said the project is bigger than first described. About 729 trees could eventually come down, 200 more than the 529 originally identified, with roughly 300 still standing. The administration says the work restores the course’s historic links style landscape and is unrelated to President Donald Trump’s plan for a championship level course. Reyes wrote that the speed of the work suggested otherwise.
What did Judge Reyes order?
At a four hour emergency hearing Monday, Reyes accused Justice Department lawyer Marissa Piropato of doing her absolute worst and called the government’s explanation preposterous. She ordered Park Service Deputy Director Frank Lands to testify with almost no notice, and he called in from his car.
Reyes then barred any more tree cutting through Oct. 26 and required three business days’ notice before any irreversible change. She also ordered Gregory Wischer, a deputy chief of staff to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and Jessica Bowron, the acting Park Service director, to testify at a hearing Monday, Oct. 19.
Why does the Justice Department want Judge Reyes off the East Potomac case?
The 13 page motion, signed by Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr., accuses Reyes of histrionics and open hostility toward the administration. It points to what it calls a pattern, citing remarks she made in a case over transgender military service and comments this week about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The department also argued that forcing senior officials to testify on short notice violates the separation of powers. Earlier Friday, it asked Reyes to lift her order, cancel Monday’s hearing and decide the case on written filings. Federal law requires judges to step aside when their impartiality might reasonably be questioned. Reyes was appointed by President Joe Biden in 2023.
Why does East Potomac Golf Links matter to Black golfers?
East Potomac was once a whites only public course. In 1941, three Black men, Asa Williams, George Williams and Cecil R. Shamwell, insisted on playing a round there and did so under police guard, according to the National Park Service. Interior Secretary Harold Ickes then fully desegregated the course, a step the Park Service says opened the door to integrating all national park facilities in 1945.
Those golfers belonged to the Royal Golf Club, a Black golf organization that had already pushed Ickes to build Washington’s Langston Golf Course, which opened in 1939.
Who plays East Potomac Golf Links today?
It’s still a working person’s course. Weekend greens fees on its Blue course top out at $48, and kids and military members play for about half that, according to Golf.com. The nonprofit National Links Trust spent years planning to restore the course’s original design by Walter Travis, while Trump has talked with architect Tom Fazio about a more modern, tournament ready layout.
Trump himself learned the game at Cobbs Creek, a Philadelphia public course long celebrated as a home for Black golfers, Golf.com reported.
Monday’s hearing is set for 10 a.m. Before then, Reyes must decide whether to step aside. In 1941, the Interior Department opened East Potomac’s gates. This week, its officials may have to explain what happened to its trees.
