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Judge Withdraws Demand That DOJ Lawyers Sign Filing in Trump Golf Course Case
ReJudge Withdraws Demand That DOJ Lawyers Sign Filing in Trump Golf Course Case
Judge Ana Reyes backed off her demand that Justice Department attorneys sign a brief in the dispute over tree removals at East Potomac Golf Links, ending a nearly seven-hour hearing and defusing a standoff with Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr.
A federal judge withdrew her demand that Justice Department attorneys sign a court filing in the legal fight over tree removals at a federally owned Washington, D.C., golf course, ending a nearly seven-hour hearing Monday and defusing a standoff with a senior department official.
Judge Ana Reyes, appointed by President Joe Biden in 2023, had invoked Rule 11 to require the attorneys arguing the case to put their names alongside Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr.’s on a Sunday filing. Rule 11 requires attorneys to stand behind the factual basis of court filings and can expose them to sanctions for violations.
«Late breaking news,» Reyes said as the hearing concluded. «I’m going to withdraw request that DOJ refile yesterday’s brief with identification of who signed it. We’ve all got better things to spend our time on.»
The reversal came hours after President Donald Trump called Reyes a «crazed lunatic» on Truth Social. The dispute centers on Trump’s plans to renovate East Potomac Golf Links into what he has described as a «world-class, U.S. Open-caliber course.»
The lawsuit was first filed in February. Tensions escalated earlier this month when the National Park Service removed roughly 430 trees at the course over a weekend. The Interior Department said the removals were part of a years-old plan to restore the course’s historic design and were unrelated to Trump’s proposed overhaul.
Although the tree removal did not violate a court order, it prompted Reyes to impose a temporary restraining order barring further removals. She was described as «screaming» at administration attorneys during an Oct. 12 hearing, which led Woodward to seek her removal from the case, accusing her of bias and «open hostility» toward the Trump administration.
Both Woodward and Trump have called for the release of audio recordings of the hearings. In his Monday post, Trump said the tapes «will reveal» misconduct and claimed they have been blocked from use by the judge. He also said his administration has a «right» to turn the course into a «great, safe, and prestigious» golf course, adding that «work is scheduled to begin IMMEDIATELY.»
Trump made two other posts Sunday saying Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and architect Tom Fazio had «developed a plan» to revamp the course into a «World Class Championship Golf Course» and that work would begin November 15. Those posts prompted Reyes to give the Justice Department an 8 p.m. filing deadline, saying Trump’s characterization conflicted with a previous filing that stated there was «no agency action» in the golf course plan.
The filing was signed only by Woodward, which immediately became a point of contention at the start of Monday’s hearing. Reyes demanded that the attorneys «raise your hand» if they would sign the briefing, which Woodward said was «not an appropriate request.» She then invoked Rule 11 and ordered them to the podium to sign the filing, but Woodward and the attorneys refused.
Reyes initially set a 3 p.m. deadline but later extended it until noon Tuesday and offered to allow the attorneys’ names to appear on the brief rather than requiring their signatures. In the end, she abandoned the demand completely.
«For those wondering, a common reason high level DOJ appointees sometimes signs briefs boils down to good leadership,» Abhishek Kambli, a former federal prosecutor, wrote on X. «If there is something that is likely to be contentious with a judge, a DOJ leader signs their name on the brief so that any issues someone has with the brief is directed at them rather than lower level attorneys.»
Rachel Bovard, vice president of programs at the Conservative Partnership Institute, wrote on X that «DOJ line attorneys increasingly do not sign briefs because of Dem law fare.» She said Democrats «have and continue to go after the bar licenses of young DOJ line attorneys who are simply executing on behalf of the department.»
Reyes previously faced a Justice Department judicial-misconduct complaint over her handling of litigation challenging Trump’s restrictions on transgender individuals serving in the military. During a February 2025 hearing, she questioned a Trump administration attorney about what Jesus Christ would say about policies excluding transgender people from homeless shelters. Then-DOJ Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle accused her of «hostile and egregious misconduct» and potential bias in a formal complaint filed with the D.C. Circuit. The complaint was later dismissed, with the circuit’s chief judge concluding that a recusal motion was the proper avenue for challenging Reyes’ conduct.
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