Oct 18 - US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that his administration would begin renovation work next month on a historic Washington golf course that a federal judge had ordered could not proceed without prior court notification.
The renovation work, which Trump earlier this year had said would begin in September, has become the subject of a lawsuit over environmental and historic preservation concerns.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social that work on the East Potomac Golf Links would begin on November
15 and that it would reopen in about 15 months. The renovation is among a number of projects Trump is pursuing to reshape the White House and other Washington landmarks.
US District Judge Ana Reyes ruled earlier this year that the government must give notice before any substantive construction work on the golf course could proceed, and last week issued an order halting the removal of trees at the site, which she called "inexcusable."
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Trump's announcement on Sunday would conflict with Reyes' directives.
The DC Preservation League brought a lawsuit in February to halt the administration's takeover of the golf course, alleging that it would violate environmental laws and "irreparably destroy a priceless piece of American history."
In an October 9 court filing, the Trump administration had asked Reyes to dismiss the litigation, saying it was premature because the "proposed project remains at an early and conceptual stage."
The following day, however, the government removed about 500 trees from the site, which it said would improve safety at the park and restore its original design, and was part of a 2019 plan that predates Trump's ambitions for the course. Reyes ordered a halt to the removals.
On Friday, the government filed a motion to disqualify Reyes and move the case to another district judge, saying her actions had shown "deep-seated and unequivocal antipathy toward the Trump Administration," according to court records.
(Reporting by Julia Harte; Editing by Sergio Non and Edmund Klamann)
