Trump says Washington golf course project to start immediately, despite judge's order
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Monday that his administration would begin renovation work immediately on a historic Washington golf course that a federal judge had ordered could not proceed without prior notification to the court.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump announced that his administration would commence renovation work on a historic Washington golf course immediately, despite a federal judge's order requiring prior notification to the court. The renovation, which President Trump had previously planned for November 15, has sparked a lawsuit over environmental and historic preservation concerns.
Trump criticized the judge as a "crazed lunatic" and called the court case "ridiculous," asserting that his administration had an "absolute right" to proceed with the renovation. The Interior Department is authorized to undertake this "First Class renovation" without approval. The work is part of a series of projects Trump is undertaking to alter the White House and other Washington landmarks.
US District Judge Ana Reyes had ruled earlier this year that the government must provide notice before any significant construction work on the golf course could commence. Last week, she issued an order to cease tree removal at the site, deeming it "inexcusable." Trump had initially scheduled the renovation for September but later changed it to November 15.
In response to the judge's order, Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward argued in a filing that any redesign of the golf course does not constitute an "agency action." The DC Preservation League filed a lawsuit in February, claiming the project would violate environmental laws and irreparably destroy a significant piece of American history.
The administration had previously asked the judge to dismiss the litigation, stating it was premature as the project remained in its conceptual stage. The government recently removed around 500 trees from the site, citing safety improvements and alignment with a 2019 plan that predated Trump's plans for the course. Reyes ordered the removals to stop.
The government also filed a motion to disqualify Judge Reyes and transfer the case to another judge, alleging she demonstrated a "deep-seated and unequivocal antipathy toward the Trump Administration."
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