Judge continues to block Trump admin. from cutting down trees at D.C. golf course, confirms she’s still “not the Lorax”– www.cbsnews.com

A federal judge on Monday barred the Trump administration from removing trees from East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, D.C., in a colorful ruling that follows a weekslong controversy over President Trump’s plans to overhaul the publicly owned course.

“The Court earlier stated, ‘I am not the Lorax. I do not speak for the trees,'” U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes wrote. “The Court still does not speak for the trees. It speaks only for the rule of law.”

In a 70-page preliminary injunction ruling, Reyes prohibited the government from “removing or damaging” any trees on the golf course while a lawsuit challenging the renovation plan works its way through the court system. The judge also required 10 days’ notice before the government makes “any irreparable modification” to the course.

The judge had previously blocked tree removal through Monday.

In a Truth Social post, Mr. Trump called the ruling “unconstitutional” and said his administration would seek appeal. He added that the government would move forward with closing the course on Nov. 15.

“To have to give advanced notices to a judge who has no expertise in Golf, Architecture, Landscaping, Construction, or anything else having to do with building such a World Class Project, is not fair, appropriate, or Constitutional,” the president wrote, arguing the project is “totally ‘as of right.'”

Mr. Trump has sought to overhaul the golf course — which sits beside the Potomac River — for months, pitching a “World Class Championship Golf Course” fit to host high-profile professional tournaments instead of the current “dysfunctional” course. The D.C. Preservation League sued over the planned changes to the course, arguing the government violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to analyze the project’s impacts.