U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes ordered the Trump administration to halt tree clearing at the public East Potomac Golf Links course in the capital, Washington, until October 26.
Reyes said the administration had pressed ahead with the clearing quickly to finish the work before it could be stopped. She issued the temporary restraining order in a 21-page ruling on Tuesday.
72-hour notice required for work
The order requires at least 72 hours’ notice before work that would permanently alter the course can begin. Reyes sharply criticized the administration for ignoring repeated requests not to carry out work at the historic golf course.
“There is no excuse for this,” the judge said. She also told government attorneys that “ignorance cannot be accepted as an excuse.”
Reyes recalled warning at an earlier hearing that not even 10 trees could be cut at the site without prior notice.
About 430 trees cut over the weekend
Administration attorneys told the hearing that about 430 trees had been cut over the weekend and that 299 more were slated for removal. The hearing was held after civil society organizations opposing new clearing at the public golf course filed an emergency request late Sunday.
Footage from the site showed hundreds of trees that had stood for many years being cut down, some with very thick trunks. Some trees appeared to have been felled hastily, while their roots were not removed.
The footage also showed yellow bands on some tree trunks, some of the cut branches being turned into wood chips by chipping machines, and the trunks and roots of some trees with their branches removed left at the site.
