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Judge on challenge to Trump golf course takeover: ‘I’m no Amy Poehler’
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A federal judge declined to immediately block the Trump administration from closing East Potomac Golf Links, saying recent reports about renovation plans aren’t enough for her to step in, but the judge warned she’s prepared to quickly intervene if the plans move forward. “I don’t want to be the overseer of Parks and Rec. I’m no Amy Poehler,” U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes said at a Monday hearing. Construction crews have for months dumped debris from the East Wing demolition on East Potomac’s course. The DC Preservation League and two golfers originally sued in February, but they picked up their efforts over the weekend after reports from NOTUS and The Washington Post indicated that deferred maintenance and tree-clearing work was set to begin this week ahead of renovations. Reyes, an appointee of former President Biden, ordered government attorneys to work overnight so they could be ready to present their response at a hastily scheduled Monday morning proceeding. Will Bardwell, one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys, told the judge that the government would “use this as an excuse to begin hardcore construction under the guise of taking down a dying tree.” “We don’t want what happened at the Kennedy Center to happen here,” said Bardwell, who works at the left-leaning Democracy Forward Foundation. Kevin Griess, who helps manage National Park Service sites in the nation’s capital, pushed back. He told the judge that officials were planning to tag dying trees and examine other conditions at the course, but there were no plans to raze it on Monday. “Right now, business as usual,” Griess insisted. Though the judge declined to intervene on the course, she did order the government to notify the preservationist group if they plan to cut down more than 10 trees or if plans change. If “bulldozers show up, we’re not doing a whole briefing schedule. I’m going to make people show up with documents pretty quickly,” Reyes said. Updated at 10:20 a.m. EDT Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.