Judge halts tree felling at East Potomac golf course until 26 October

A federal judge has stopped tree-cutting at the East Potomac golf course in Washington, D.C., until 26 October.

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued the order after a three-hour hearing on work carried out at the park over the holiday weekend, The Guardian reported. It bars any further felling while the court considers what happened on the public course.

The case centres on the abrupt removal of approximately 500 trees from East Potomac Golf Links, according to Reuters. The work took place over the holiday weekend and triggered an emergency hearing on Monday. That session ran for three-and-a-half hours, WUSA9 reported.

Reyes was blunt. She said the Justice Department has “lost all credibility” over the removal. Her words came after government lawyers faced detailed questions about who authorised the work and why it went ahead.

The judge first imposed a 24-hour halt on Monday, Associated Press reported. She then extended that protection. Under the latest order, the government must give the court and the plaintiffs three business days’ written advance notice before making any irreparable modification to any permanent form or feature of the course.

What makes this stand out for golfers is simple. Trees are not scenery. They shape the wind, punish a wide drive and guard the safer line to the green. Lose 500 of them in a weekend and the course plays differently on Thursday morning.