Trump Opponents Accept 150-Tree Removal Explanation at DC Golf Course as Judge Cites Threats
Updated
Updated · CNN · Sep 3
Trump Opponents Accept 150-Tree Removal Explanation at DC Golf Course as Judge Cites Threats
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Sep 3
Summary
About 150 trees cut at East Potomac Golf Course were accepted in court as routine removals after challengers said they no longer had reason to dispute the government's explanation.
Judge Ana Reyes said the dispute had triggered weeks of anger and threats against her, while Justice Department lawyers said 77 trees were invasive and 77 were dead, dying or hazardous out of roughly 3,800 in the park.
The hearing, set as a status conference, left the broader lawsuit alive: Reyes let challengers amend their complaint after recent Supreme Court rulings the administration says support dismissal.
The case still centers on Trump's push to remake the public course into a championship venue by summer 2028, though plans have not yet gone before Washington's key federal design-review agencies.