U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued the temporary restraining order, which bars the government from closing East Potomac Park and the golf course during the hours they were open as of November 14. The order remains in effect through November 28 or until further order from the court.

The ruling is a victory for the D.C. Preservation League and two local golfers who sued in February, arguing that the president's plan to transform the 106-year-old course into a championship-level venue would alter the character of an accessible, affordable public space and make it unaffordable for ordinary residents.

In her decision, Reyes pointed to President Donald Trump's own social media posts last month announcing the November 15 closure as evidence that the administration's plans were final. Trump wrote on October 26 that the site would be closed "in order to renovate and rebuild for Competitive (with other such projects!), Safety, Modernization, and Aesthetic reasons," with the goal of creating a "World Championship Public Facility."

"They indicate that the Washington National Plan is final and that NPS will close the Park to implement it," Reyes wrote. "Both points favor granting Plaintiffs' motion for another temporary restraining order."

The judge's order does not require the government to actively manage the park, and she noted that the administration remains free to conduct repairs under an existing preliminary injunction.

The Justice Department said in a statement that the ruling acknowledged the National Park Service's authority to limit access to facilities where the public faces risk of harm, and that nothing in the order prevents planning for the golf course project from continuing. "The Department of Justice will always vociferously defend the Trump Administration's agenda in court," the statement said.

Catherine Carroll, a senior legal adviser at Democracy Forward, which represents the plaintiffs, praised the ruling. "We are grateful that once again, a court has intervened to prevent irreparable harm caused by the Trump-Vance administration's pursuit of another one of the president's vanity projects," she said. "The administration's inexplicable drive to destroy East Potomac Park would have taken away a treasured park that could never be replaced."

The decision followed a five-hour hearing on Friday in which Justice Department lawyer Adam Gustafson argued that the entire park—which includes three golf courses, a miniature course, bike lanes and other recreational areas—needed to close for safety reasons, and that the lease with the current operator, National Links Trust, was expiring Sunday. Reyes questioned why safety had not been raised in months of discussions about the closure, suggesting the lease termination appeared to provide a pretext rather than a cause for shutting the course.

Even before the ruling, Trump lashed out on social media Saturday, saying Reyes "doesn't want us to quickly and inexpensively fix up the Course which is, also, very dangerous." He promised Washington-area residents a 50% discount on all rates and said the redevelopment would "evolve into something very special."

The East Potomac project is one of several Trump-backed endeavors to remake the nation's capital, including a large memorial arch, a White House ballroom and changes at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. A different judge recently ordered a 14-day delay on work for the arch shortly after a planning commission stacked with Trump appointees approved it.

Reyes, nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden, had been reluctant for months to grant work stoppages, but her stance shifted in October after the administration oversaw a tree-cutting spree over a holiday weekend with little notice to the court or plaintiffs. The judge has repeatedly expressed frustration over the granular planning details she has been asked to adjudicate, including the removal of trees at the park.

The Justice Department has sought to have Reyes removed from the case, citing what it called her "egregious behavior" and questioning her impartiality. She has not recused herself. Reyes also announced plans last week to appoint Jessie Liu, a former U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, to examine whether Interior Department and National Park Service officials and Justice Department attorneys violated ethics rules or misled the court during the litigation.