Federal judge orders Trump administration to halt work for a day on historic D.C. golf course - BERITAJA
ByGary Fields
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes connected Monday ordered a 24-hour halt to tree-cutting astatine the East Potomac Golf Course, a historical D.C. play people that has been portion of President Donald Trump’s plans to remake the city.
Reyes issued the bid pursuing a tense three-hour proceeding successful which she blistered the authorities for having deceived her pinch its actions complete the vacation weekend.
Reyes said the 24-hour impermanent bid could beryllium extended to 14 days if necessary. It was constricted to 1 time while the authorities tries to find a cardinal Trump management charismatic to talk why a monolithic tree-cutting astatine the parkland needed to hap complete the vacation weekend, pinch small notification to plaintiffs successful a suit trying to halt renewal plans aliases the judge.
It’s the latest illustration of the erosion of spot betwixt the authorities and the independent judiciary, arsenic the Trump management tries to steamroll scrutiny of its actions, from the White House ballroom to migration enforcement.
The proceeding started pinch a blistering 15-minute connection from Reyes, who has declined repeated motions from the plaintiffs to halt activity by the management retired of interest that its strategy has seemed to beryllium move up connected projects contempt tribunal actions.
“I americium thoroughly unamused correct now,” Reyes said. “I do not cognize really I could person made it immoderate plainer that I did not want what was to happen, to happen.” The judge added: “I person fixed the authorities each azygous use of the uncertainty that it would not do precisely what it has done.”
She told the government’s lawyers sharply: “I wanted you each to beryllium amended than you person been.”
The emergency proceeding connected a vacation expanded arsenic the judge ordered the authorities to get various participants successful the decision-making process into the proceeding remotely.
Reyes plans to clasp different proceeding Tuesday and wants to perceive from Greg Wischer, lawman main of unit astatine the Interior Department. Wischer pushed for the activity to beryllium done urgently, according to grounds from Frank Lands, lawman head of operations for the National Park Service.
Fields writes for the Associated Press.AP writer Matthew Daly contributed to this report.
