Justice Department files formal notice to close East Potomac Golf Course on Nov. 15

The Department of Justice filed a legal notice on Wednesday evening confirming that the National Park Service intends to close East Potomac Golf Course on November 15. The filing aligns federal agency actions with President Donald Trump's recent public statements regarding the renovation of the site into a championship-level facility.

Under the new plans, the Park Service will submit a design rendering by golfer and designer Tom Fazio to the National Capital Planning Commission on Friday, October 30. The document describes the proposed course as world-class and capable of hosting major tournaments, including the U.S. Open. The planning commission is scheduled to review the proposal at its meeting on December 3.

The closure will affect the portion of East Potomac Park located south of Buckeye Drive. The Justice Department stated that the shutdown is consistent with the president's directive. The government has also signed a new lease with the National Links Trust, which currently manages the course. Under the agreement, the Trust will cease operations at East Potomac by the close of business on or before November 15 while continuing to manage two other public courses.

This filing marks a critical shift in a ten-day legal and political dispute that began on October 18. On that date, Trump posted on social media that the park would close for 15 months to become a world-class facility. The announcement prompted a lawsuit from the DC Preservation League and two individual golfers, leading to a series of emergency court hearings.

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued a preliminary injunction on October 26. The order was partly grounded in discrepancies between the president's announcements and the testimony of officials from the Park Service, the Department of the Interior, and the Justice Department, who initially stated they were unaware of the closure plans. The injunction temporarily prevents the government from removing or damaging additional trees at the course.

The court also mandated that the government provide ten days' written notice before making any irreparable modifications to the course's features while the lawsuit is pending. The legal filing placed Justice Department attorneys in the position of clarifying whether the president's social media posts constituted an official plan. Judge Reyes asked the department on Tuesday to specify if a plan exists to close the course around November 15.

The judge ordered Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. to appear in court on Friday. He will be joined by at least one representative from the Interior Department Solicitor's Office who has prior experience with the case. Trump responded to the legal scrutiny on Truth Social on Wednesday night, describing the course as highly dangerous, dilapidated, and disgusting. He stated that Judge Reyes would be held responsible for any injuries or deaths at the site.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit argue that the renovation work is causing irreversible damage to the park. Critics contend the new design would make the course unaffordable for the public and eliminate other uses of the land. The project is part of a larger effort by the administration to modify Washington's historic landscape, which includes plans for a White House ballroom, a large arch, and a National Garden of American Heroes in West Potomac Park.

A second legal challenge is underway this week regarding the arch project. Judge Tanya Chutkan will hear a motion on Friday to temporarily halt construction at Memorial Circle. The administration has indicated construction could begin as early as November 5, pending planning commission approval. Arlington County, Virginia, has also filed a suit against the arch, becoming the first government entity to take legal action on the matter.