Judge orders formal probe after DOJ admits golf course closure plan

Residents of Washington, D.C., lost public access to the East Potomac Park golf course and surrounding green spaces after a federal judge ordered a formal inquiry into the conduct of Justice Department attorneys. District Judge Ana Reyes initiated the review on Friday to determine if government officials misrepresented the status of renovation plans in court filings over the past several months.

The inquiry follows a Wednesday filing in which government lawyers acknowledged a plan to transform the municipal golf course into a championship-level venue. They stated that the National Park Service would submit a design by Tom Fazio to the National Capital Planning Commission on Friday. The filing confirmed that the park south of Buckeye Drive would close on or before November 15, ending operations under a new lease agreement with the National Links Trust.

Reyes cited Rule 3.3 of the D.C. Bar Rules of Professional Conduct during the four-hour hearing, which prohibits lawyers from knowingly making false statements to the court. She questioned Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. about why officials previously maintained that no final plan existed. Woodward stated he was not aware of any corrections to prior testimony, noting he had not reviewed every transcript in the case.

The judge expressed frustration that government attorneys submitted renovation plans to the planning commission on the same day they told the court the plans were not final. Reyes asked if officials had been drafting the submission for weeks while the litigation was active and lawyers claimed there was no plan. Woodward admitted the submission had been in progress for several weeks but did not explain why this was not mentioned in prior hearings.

Reyes announced she would appoint a special master with full investigatory powers to lead the inquiry. If the government rejects that candidate, she said she would conduct the investigation herself. She clarified that opening an inquiry does not mean the court has found evidence of violations, but it signals a shift in how the judge views the government's representations since the lawsuit began in February.

The closure also aims to address a deteriorating seawall that is crumbling into the Potomac River. Acting National Park Service Director Jessica Bowron stated that the century-old walls are compromised, leaving sidewalks underwater twice daily. Woodward estimated seawall repairs would cost between $150 million and $400 million, though he did not provide a cost estimate for the golf course renovations.

Reyes extended her ban on tree removal on Monday and required 10 days' written notice before any irreversible changes to the park. The government appealed this order immediately. In a 70-page opinion, Reyes wrote that the case had become about more than golf, noting the unusual position of the Department of Justice urging the court not to believe the sitting president.

President Trump responded to the ruling on social media, stating Reyes had no right to hold up the project. He also cited safety risks, claiming a White House staffer was hit by a golf ball through a hole in the driving range net. Rep. Jared Huffman sent a letter to congressional leaders asking them to block federal funds for the seawall project to prevent the redesign of the park.