A federal judge has ordered a two-week delay on work at East Potomac Golf Links, preventing the government from closing it during open hours at least until Nov. 28, 2026.
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A federal judge ordered a two-week delay on work at East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, D.C., blocking for now President Donald Trump’s push to redevelop the public golf course near the White House.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued a temporary restraining order before the East Potomac Golf Links was scheduled to close Sunday for 15 months.
The court order bars the government from closing East Potomac Park and the East Potomac Golf Course during the daily hours they were open as of Nov. 14, 2026, and it remains in effect through Nov. 28, 2026, or further order from the court.
Trump had announced that work would begin on Nov. 15, posting that the course site would close “as scheduled” to renovate and rebuild for “Competitive,” “Safety,” “Modernization,” and “Aesthetic reasons,” and to create “a World Championship Public Facility.”
The lawsuit, initiated in February by the DC Preservation League and two local golfers, argued the plan would change the character of the accessible golf course and make it unaffordable.
The U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement that the judge acknowledged the National Park Service can limit access where the public is at risk of harm, and it said nothing in the order precludes planning for development of a world-class golf course to continue.
Catherine Carroll, a senior legal adviser at Democracy Forward representing the plaintiffs, said the ruling prevents irreparable harm caused by the Trump-Vance administration’s pursuit of the project.
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