Justice Department moves to disqualify judge overseeing East Potomac Golf Links lawsuit

DOJ seeks Reyes's recusal from East Potomac case

The Justice Department on Friday filed a motion seeking to disqualify U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes from presiding over a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's planned changes to the East Potomac Golf Links, the Washington, D.C., municipal course President Trump has proposed converting into a championship-caliber layout. The motion followed a four-hour hearing on Monday, when preservationists and Washingtonians who sued over the renovation told the court that federal workers had cleared large sections of the course over a holiday weekend with less than 24 hours' notice. Reyes, who had previously ordered the government not to carry out any surprise work at the course, summoned two additional Interior Department officials to testify on the spot about who directed the cutting.

"Egregious" conduct alleged in Friday filing

In Friday's motion, the Justice Department lawyer described Reyes's "behavior in this case" as "nothing short of egregious" and said it "rises to the level of deep-seated and unequivocal antipathy toward the Trump Administration." The filing pointed to the tense Monday hearing, at which the Biden-appointed judge said she was "furious" with the administration for cutting down trees without first notifying the court and added that "the government can't be trusted." The government also objected to Reyes requiring "high-level" officials to attend that hearing, writing that she "demonstrates a cavalier disregard for these officials' valuable time, as well as a blatant disregard for black-letter separation of powers principles." The administration argued Reyes "cannot serve as an impartial arbiter of the case" and asked her to release jurisdiction so the case could move to a different judge.

Earlier case orders and tree-cutting dispute

Reyes had previously ordered the Trump administration to halt work on the East Potomac Golf Course until Oct. 26 as the litigation proceeds. Federal officials stated in a recent filing that nearly 730 trees will need to be cleared under the renovation plan, a figure CNN reported on, and described the work as routine maintenance meant to eliminate potential hazards. CNN, as cited in the reporting, tallied the number of trees removed at 169. The Justice Department's latest motion also flagged comments Reyes made while overseeing other cases involving the administration, including her stated view that a transgender service-member ban was "literally erasing transgender people" — a ruling in which she ultimately blocked the ban.

Renovation plan and wider D.C. construction effort

The legal challenge was brought by a preservationist group and two local golfers against Trump's plans to reshape East Potomac into a championship-caliber course, one of several construction projects the president has launched since returning to the White House in an effort to recast the physical landscape of Washington, D.C.

Next steps in the litigation

The Friday recusal motion asks Reyes to release the case so it can be reassigned. The next concrete milestone in the docket is the court's response to the recusal request, against the backdrop of Reyes's earlier order pausing work on the course until Oct. 26.