A federal district judge has taken the unusual step of ordering a senior Justice Department official back into court after statements made under oath appeared to contradict direct assertions from President Donald Trump regarding the planned closure of a historic Washington golf course.
District Judge Ana Reyes has summoned Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward to appear either Friday or Monday to clarify whether his previous courtroom statements remain accurate. During a hearing last week, administration officials repeatedly told the court there were no plans to close East Potomac Golf Course. Hours later, President Trump posted on social media that the course would close November 15 for renovations, with construction beginning immediately.
In a seventy-page ruling issued this week, Judge Reyes addressed what she characterized as an extraordinary situation facing the federal judiciary. The judge noted the remarkable nature of the Justice Department’s position, writing that it is exceedingly rare for government attorneys to urge a court not to believe statements made by the sitting President of the United States.
The case centers on the Trump administration’s plans for East Potomac Golf Course, a historic facility in the nation’s capital. Judge Reyes concluded that the administration likely violated environmental laws during its planning process, specifically citing apparent breaches of the National Environmental Policy Act.
The judge found that plaintiffs had successfully demonstrated the existence of a final development plan, despite government attorneys’ assertions to the contrary. This conclusion rested not merely on social media statements from the President and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, but also on concrete actions taken by the administration, including the removal of hundreds of healthy trees from the property.
Judge Reyes criticized the timing and notice provided regarding the tree removal, determining that parties to the lawsuit had insufficient opportunity to seek legal intervention before the cutting commenced. She further found that the administration likely violated environmental review requirements by segmenting the environmental impacts of the planned construction, a practice that can allow agencies to circumvent comprehensive environmental analysis.
The court has issued an injunction barring further construction at East Potomac Park and requiring the administration to provide ten business days’ written notice before making any irreparable modifications to the park’s features. This requirement will remain in effect pending the outcome of the litigation.
What began as a dispute over recreational facilities has evolved into a more complex legal matter requiring the court to reconcile sworn testimony from government officials with public statements from the President. Judge Reyes noted that if the Justice Department’s position is correct and the President’s statements are inaccurate, Interior Secretary Burgum could simply clarify the matter publicly. To date, no such clarification has been forthcoming.
The upcoming hearing will address whether the government has complied with the court’s injunction and seek resolution of the apparent contradictions between executive branch communications and courtroom representations. The case highlights ongoing tensions between presidential communications in the social media age and formal legal proceedings.
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