Judge drops Rule 11 demand against DOJ lawyers after long golf course hearing

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes reversed a Rule 11 demand she had made against Justice Department attorneys during a nearly seven-hour hearing on Monday over East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, Fox News reports.

The Hill reports she rejected a DOJ demand that it not take part in the hearing. The Hill also reports the Trump administration has alleged Reyes is biased after she yelled at a government attorney. President Trump has called her a "crazed lunatic," according to The Hill's headline.

At the hearing, Reyes said she plans to extend her order blocking the administration from cutting more trees at the course, NBC News reports. She said the government's argument that the removal of hundreds of trees was unrelated to Trump's renovation plan was not credible, according to NBC. ABC News reports the government's justification for the tree removal centers on a 2019 landscape report.

Government lawyers told the judge there is no final plan for the course, NPR reports. NPR says that came hours after Trump said Monday morning that work would begin immediately. On Sunday, Trump said on Truth Social that work would begin Nov. 15, according to CBS News and The Guardian. NBC reports DOJ lawyers also said the course will not close.

Earlier this year Reyes ruled that the government must give notice before any substantive construction, The Guardian reports. Last week she halted tree removal and called it "inexcusable."

The New York Times reports that several residents are discouraged by the plan, which they fear could wipe out features they value. The BBC reports Trump wants to turn the 106-year-old public course into one capable of hosting professional tournaments, and that local golfers are unhappy.