Judicial Inquiry: Judge Reyes Investigates DOJ Misconduct in Golf Course Dispute

District Judge Ana Reyes launched a formal inquiry on Friday to determine if Justice Department officials misrepresent facts regarding the transformation of East Potomac Park into a championship golf course. The judge cited Rule 3.3 of the D.C. Bar Rules, which bars lawyers from knowingly making or failing to correct false statements to the court.

The inquiry follows a written filing on Wednesday in which government lawyers confirmed plans to close the park and much of the surrounding area in mid-November. Previously, attorneys for the Interior Department and National Park Service had told the court that no final plan existed. Reyes noted that the government submitted renovation designs to the National Capital Planning Commission on Friday, despite claiming weeks earlier that no such submission was in progress.

Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. led the government's defense during a four-hour hearing. He stated that the submission to the planning commission had been in development for several weeks. Reyes questioned why officials did not disclose this timeline during previous hearings, including a seven-hour session. She asked Woodward if he would like to correct the record, to which he replied, “Not to my knowledge,” adding that he had not read every transcript in the case.

The administration argues that closing the park is necessary to repair a century-old seawall that is crumbling into the Potomac River. Acting National Park Service Director Jessica Bowron stated in a declaration that large sections of the adjacent sidewalk are underwater twice daily. Woodward estimated the seawall repairs would cost between $150 million and $400 million. He declined to provide a cost estimate for the golf course renovations designed by Tom Fazio.

Reyes ordered the government to preserve all relevant documents to prevent evidence loss. She also required the administration to provide 10 days' written notice before closing or irreversibly modifying the park. The government has appealed this order. The new lease agreement with the National Links Trust, which operates the municipal courses, will keep D.C.'s other two courses open for 50 years while ceasing operations at East Potomac by November 15.

President Trump posted on social media that the renovations are essential and criticized Reyes for holding up the project. He stated that golf balls have struck players through holes in the driving range net, including a White House staffer. Rep. Jared Huffman sent a letter to appropriations leaders asking them to block federal funding for the seawall repairs to prevent the administration from using the work as a pretext for the golf course redesign.

Reyes said the inquiry may be led by a special master with full investigatory powers. If the government rejects that option, she will conduct the investigation herself. She emphasized that opening the probe does not mean the court has found evidence of ethical violations yet. The judge stated that for months the court trusted the government's word but no longer will.