The lawsuit over the Trump public golf course, filed in February 2026, asks a federal judge to stop the administration from tearing down and rebuilding East Potomac Golf Links, a century-old National Park Service course in Washington, D.C., without the environmental and historic-preservation reviews federal law requires. The D.C. Preservation League and two regular players at the course say the Interior Department and the National Park Service adopted a championship-caliber redesign, began preparing the site, and dumped tens of thousands of cubic yards of demolition debris there before running the reviews that were supposed to come first.
Who Sued and What They Want
The case is DC Preservation League et al. v. Department of the Interior et al., No. 1:26-cv-00477, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.1The Architect’s Newspaper. DC Preservation League Trump East Potomac Park Golf The plaintiffs are the D.C. Preservation League and two recreational golfers who regularly play East Potomac: Dave Roberts, a D.C. resident, and Alex Dickson, who lives in Arlington, Virginia.2Fox 5 DC. DMV Residents Sue Trump Administration Over East Potomac Golf Course Revamp They are represented by the Democracy Forward Foundation, Lowell & Associates, and the Democracy Defenders Fund.
The named defendants are the Department of the Interior, the National Park Service, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and acting NPS Director Jessica Bowron. The suit seeks a declaratory judgment that the redevelopment plan is unlawful, an order setting it aside, and an injunction blocking further implementation.3Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse. League v. Department of Interior
The Four Legal Claims
The complaint rests on four federal legal grounds. Each targets the same core allegation: the administration decided to remake the course first and considered its legal obligations afterward.
- National Environmental Policy Act. Plaintiffs say the government failed to perform environmental impact studies before dumping demolition debris on the site and preparing it for construction.4NBC Washington. Lawsuit Seeks to Stop Trumps Overhaul of 100-Year-Old Public Golf Course
- National Historic Preservation Act. East Potomac was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 as part of the East and West Potomac Parks Historic District. The complaint argues the administration treated the statute’s Section 106 consultation as a “box-checking exercise to be completed after the fences have already gone up.”5The Cultural Landscape Foundation. Washington DCs Historic East Potomac Park in the Crosshairs6Democracy Forward. DC Preservation League v. Department of Interior, Emergency Filing
- Administrative Procedure Act. This is the procedural wrapper for the other claims: plaintiffs say the agency’s actions were arbitrary and failed to follow the processes required by NEPA, the NHPA, and the NPS Organic Act.3Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse. League v. Department of Interior
- The 1897 Congressional Act that created East Potomac Park. That statute directed the land be “forever held and used as a park for the recreation and pleasure of the people.” Plaintiffs argue converting the property into an exclusive championship venue would violate that mandate.7DC Preservation League. East Potomac Links Lawsuit1The Architect’s Newspaper. DC Preservation League Trump East Potomac Park Golf
The Plan the Lawsuit Is Trying to Stop
Court filings call the redevelopment the “Washington National Plan.” It would demolish the existing Red, White, and Blue courses at East Potomac and replace them with a single 18-hole, 7,660-yard championship layout designed by Fazio Design, along with a 400-yard driving range, a new nine-hole short course, new water hazards, and possibly a new clubhouse. The historic miniature golf course would remain.8Golf.com. Plan for President Trumps DC Muni by Fazio President Trump has said he wants the course to host major championships, including a U.S. Open and a Ryder Cup.9The Fried Egg. Washington DC Golf East Potomac Tom Fazio Plans
According to the complaint, Secretary Burgum proposed the project to the president in August 2025, and administration officials met with Tom Fazio in November 2025 to discuss the design.10Democracy Forward. DC Preservation League v. Department of Interior, Complaint Burgum publicly unveiled a preliminary Fazio design on May 14, 2026, comparing the future course to Bethpage Black and Torrey Pines and promising “championship-quality golf at affordable, highly discounted rates.”11The Hill. Doug Burgum DC Golf Course Design
In court, the government has taken a different tone. In declarations filed April 30, 2026, acting NPS Director Bowron stated that “management of the East Potomac Golf Course is unchanged” and that “no formal decision has been made regarding the nature and scope of any renovations.” Plaintiffs replied that the fundraising brochure circulating for the project, the Fazio design work, and the administration’s plans to close the course on May 3 and begin cutting trees the next day contradicted those statements.6Democracy Forward. DC Preservation League v. Department of Interior, Emergency Filing
The East Wing Debris on the Course
One factual thread runs through the environmental claims. Starting in October 2025, the National Park Service transported more than 30,000 cubic yards of soil and debris from the White House East Wing demolition project to East Potomac Golf Links.12NBC Washington. East Wing Debris East Potomac Golf Course Toxic Metals NPS13DC News Now. Environmental Concerns Raised After East Wing Debris Tests Positive for Toxins
The Interior Department said the soil “was tested multiple times by multiple parties, and this project passed all standards set by law” to ensure the transfer was “safe for the public.”14The Hill. Toxic Soil Golf Course Trump Ballroom Robert Glicksman, an environmental law professor at George Washington University, told reporters that some concentrations exceeded limits set by stricter state standards and that risks of wind-blown dust and migration into nearby water were real.13DC News Now. Environmental Concerns Raised After East Wing Debris Tests Positive for Toxins
The Judge’s Warning and What the Government Can and Cannot Do
The case is before U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes.12NBC Washington. East Wing Debris East Potomac Golf Course Toxic Metals NPS At a remote emergency hearing on May 4, 2026, Reyes declined to enter a formal temporary restraining order, saying she did not want to “play the role of the ‘Parks and Rec’ department.” She set boundaries instead. The NPS may continue routine maintenance but cannot cut more than ten trees without first providing notice and discussing the plan with government lawyers.15Boston Herald. Washington Golf Course Trees The administration also cannot shut down the course or bring in construction equipment without reasonable notice and proper approval.16NBC Washington. Trump Administration Plans East Potomac Golf Course
Reyes directed pointed warnings at DOJ attorney Michael Robertson. She said she did not want a situation where the government or a contractor acts unilaterally and then claims it is too late to do anything about it, cautioned against a “take that mile” approach of acting first and asking forgiveness later, and told Robertson to relay to the agency that if it proceeded without judicial oversight, “there are going to be serious consequences.”17Law and Crime. There Are Going to Be Serious Consequences Judge Warns DOJ Midway through the hearing, plaintiffs reported that unexplained closure signs had appeared at the course, which the Superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks could not explain.18ABC News. Judge Warns Consequences if Administration Begins Work at East Potomac
Where the Case Stands
On April 10, 2026, the federal defendants filed a motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction and failure to state a claim.3Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse. League v. Department of Interior That motion is pending, and the course remains open. No Section 106 consultation under the National Historic Preservation Act has been initiated for the project, and the plans have not been submitted to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts or the National Capital Planning Commission.19The Cultural Landscape Foundation. Why Is the National Park Service Helping the Administration Evade the Law Tom Fazio has said it is “too early to jump to conclusions” because detailed plans have not been finalized, though he has expressed hope for completion by spring 2028.20Golf.com. Plan for President Trumps DC Muni by Fazio For now, the administration is limited to maintenance-scale work while Judge Reyes weighs whether the lawsuit survives dismissal and moves to the merits.