Trump administration seeks to remove judge in golf course case, accusing her of ‘egregious’ behavior

Annabelle Gordon/Reuters

The Trump administration has requested the removal of the federal judge overseeing a legal challenge to President Donald Trump’s plans to overhaul a Washington, DC public golf course, accusing her of having “bias.”

In a motion filed Friday, the administration’s lawyer said US District Judge Ana Reyes’ “behavior in this case is nothing short of egregious,” pointing to a tense hearing earlier this week.

CNN previously reported that during Monday’s hearing, Reyes — who was appointed to the bench by former President Joe Biden — said she was “furious” with the Trump administration for cutting down 169 trees from the East Potomac Golf Course without first notifying the court, adding that “the government can’t be trusted.”

In Friday’s filing, the Justice Department lawyer said, “Judge Reyes’s conduct rises to the level of deep-seated and unequivocal antipathy toward the Trump Administration,” raising comments she made when overseeing other cases involving the administration.

“The Trump Administration is entitled to a neutral forum and an adjudicator who is capable of maintaining the appearance of impartiality,” the lawyer continued. “Judge Reyes has demonstrated she cannot do that.”

Friday’s filing is part of a legal challenge from a preservationist group and two local golfers against Trump’s plans to transform the East Potomac Golf Course into a championship caliber course. The proposed renovation is among several construction projects that the president has launched since returning to the White House as part of his efforts to reshape Washington, DC’s physical landscape.

Federal officials said in a recent court filing that nearly 730 trees will need to be cleared as part of the renovation plan, describing it as routine maintenance meant to eliminate potential hazards.

The administration’s lawyer also took issue with Reyes requiring “high-level” officials to be at the Monday hearing, writing that she “demonstrates a cavalier disregard for these officials’ valuable time, as well as a blatant disregard for black-letter separation of powers principles she should be aware of as a federal judge.”

The lawyer went on to point to comments that Reyes previously made when overseeing other cases involving the Trump administration to argue that there is a “pattern of animus.”

According to the filing, Reyes said the administration is “literally erasing transgender people” with its ban on transgender service members. The judge ultimately blocked the ban.

安娜贝尔·戈登/路透社

特朗普政府要求撤换负责审理针对唐纳德·特朗普总统改造华盛顿特区公共高尔夫球场计划的法律挑战的联邦法官，指责她有“偏见”。

政府律师在周五提交的一份动议中表示，美国地区法官安娜·雷耶斯“在此案中的行为简直令人发指”，并指出本周早些时候的一次听证会气氛紧张。

CNN 此前报道称，在周一的听证会上，由前总统乔·拜登任命的法官雷耶斯表示，她对特朗普政府在未事先通知法院的情况下砍伐东波托马克高尔夫球场的 169 棵树木感到“愤怒”，并补充说“政府不可信”。

司法部律师在周五提交的文件中表示，“雷耶斯法官的行为已经达到了对特朗普政府根深蒂固且毫不含糊的反感程度”，并提及了她在监督其他涉及该政府的案件时发表的评论。

这位律师继续说道：“特朗普政府有权获得一个中立的论坛和一位能够保持公正表象的裁决者。雷耶斯法官已经证明她做不到这一点。”

周五提交的文件是保护组织和两名当地高尔夫球手对特朗普将东波托马克高尔夫球场改造成锦标赛级球场的计划提起的法律挑战的一部分。这项拟议的改造工程是特朗普总统重返白宫以来启动的多个建设项目之一，旨在重塑华盛顿特区的城市面貌。

联邦官员在最近提交给法院的文件中表示，作为翻新计划的一部分，将需要清理近 730 棵树木，并称这是旨在消除潜在危险的例行维护。

政府律师还对雷耶斯要求“高级”官员出席周一的听证会提出异议，称她“对这些官员宝贵的时间表现出轻率的漠视，也公然无视她作为联邦法官应该了解的权力分立原则”。

律师接着指出雷耶斯此前在监督其他涉及特朗普政府的案件时发表的评论，以此论证存在“恶意模式”。

根据提交的文件，雷耶斯表示，政府禁止跨性别者服役的禁令“实际上是在抹杀跨性别者”。法官最终阻止了这项禁令的实施。