Court Expands Relief, Extends Stop to Tree Removal at East Potomac Park as Lawsuit Continues 

Preliminary Injunction Will Put Brakes on Government’s Surprise Tree-Razing Operation As Part of Effort 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A federal court has ordered the Trump-Vance administration to stop an unlawful effort publicly touted by President Trump that would irreparably destroy a priceless piece of American history by converting a much-loved public recreation space into an exclusive, high-end golf course. The preliminary injunction (PI) comes in DC Preservation League v. Department of the Interior, a lawsuit brought by the DC Preservation League and two local residents, and builds upon a temporary restraining order issued previously. Democracy Forward, Lowell & Associates, and Democracy Defenders Fund represent the plaintiffs in the case. 

Today’s PI stops any further tree removal at East Potomac Park, placing a temporary halt on the National Park Service’s planned efforts to implement Trump’s Washington National plan that will undermine access to East Potomac Park and seek to build in its place a golf course designed for professional tournaments and private events for the president and wealthy golfers. The judge’s order also requires the Trump-Vance administration to give ten business days’ notice before any closure or other irreversible modifications of the golf course, including chopping down any more trees.

“We are grateful the court intervened to prevent this lawless administration from making further irreversible changes to this precious public space. East Potomac Park is an important part of our history and our laws prevent this administration from depriving the public of this space without a fair and public process. We are eager to continue to argue this case in court,” the coalition said in a joint statement. 

The legal team at Democracy Forward working on the case includes Will Bardwell, Mark Samburg, Catherine Carroll, and Robin Thurston. The team with Lowell & Associates includes Abbe David Lowell, Caleb Hayes-Deats, Angela Reilly, and Jack Bolen. The team with Democracy Defenders Fund includes Amb. Norm Eisen (ret.) and Lindsay Zimliki.

Read the order granting the PI here and the opinion here. 

Democracy Defenders Fund brings together a nonpartisan team to work with national, state and local allies across the country to defend in real-time the foundations of our democracy.

For media inquiries, contact press@democracydefenders.org. 

Featured Image: Tim Evanson | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 2.0