Trump plans to turn DC park into golfer's paradise hits legal wall.
U.S. District Judge Anna Rice has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from closing Washington's historic East Potomac Park, further undermining the president's plan to turn it into a championship golf course.
Rice ruled that the administration's justifications for closing the park were "false" and that the government violated at least two federal laws to meet what she called an "arbitrary deadline."
Earlier this year, Trump announced plans to close the park for 15 months and transform its golf facilities into what he called one of the best courses in the world. The redesign will replace three existing 36-hole golf courses with a single 18-hole championship course.
Critics say the project will change the nature of the accessible public course and make it unaffordable.
Rice's ruling reflects another legal challenge to Trump's broader plans to reshape Washington through major construction projects. Other initiatives facing court challenges include a giant White House ballroom, adding Trump's name to the Kennedy Center and a proposed monumental arch.