Plaintiffs challenging President Donald Trump’s plans to overhaul a historic Washington, D.C., golf course asked a federal judge Thursday to temporarily block the administration from closing part of the East Potomac Park later this month.

In a new 276-page motion seeking a temporary restraining order, the D.C. Preservation League and two individual plaintiffs urged U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes to intervene before the administration’s planned Nov. 15 closure, arguing that the move would advance Trump’s redevelopment project without required environmental and historic preservation reviews.

“Defendants’ plan to close East Potomac Park leaves them poised to take another significant step in implementing the Washington National Plan,” the plaintiffs wrote. “In doing so, they threaten imminent injury to Plaintiffs and the public interest.”

The plaintiffs argue that the closure would cause irreparable harm by depriving visitors of access to the park’s recreational and historic resources. They are seeking a 14-day temporary restraining order or, alternatively, a 14-day stay preventing the closure while the legal challenge proceeds.

The National Park Service previously told the court that it intends to close East Potomac Park south of Buckeye Drive, including the golf course, on Nov. 15, citing safety concerns related to a deteriorating seawall along the Potomac River.

But the plaintiffs contend those concerns do not justify closing the entire park and are instead a pretext for advancing Trump’s plan to replace the existing historic golf course with a championship-style course designed by architect Tom Fazio.

The latest filing follows weeks of back-and-forth between the administration and the court over the scope of the redevelopment and whether federal officials have been forthcoming about their plans.

In an Oct. 26 ruling, Reyes blocked further tree removal at the park, finding that the administration had begun implementing its broader redevelopment plans without completing required environmental reviews.

The dispute intensified after Trump publicly announced that the course would close Nov. 15, even as government attorneys initially resisted confirming that timeline in court.

Federal officials subsequently acknowledged Trump’s directive and informed the judge that the park would close as scheduled, while maintaining that safety concerns independently justified the decision.

The next court hearing is scheduled for Nov. 13, two days before the planned closure.

Casey Gannon contributed to this report.

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