Justice Department attorneys told a federal judge they feared sanctions because it would be “nearly impossible” to force the administration to comply with a court order halting tree clearing at a Washington golf course President Donald Trump wants to renovate.
The claim came Thursday in a motion asking U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes to pause her Oct. 26 injunction while the administration appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. It asks her to rule by Nov. 4. Reyes’s order bars the Interior Department and the National Park Service from cutting any more trees in East Potomac Park, where Trump has vowed to rebuild a public golf course, according to her ruling .
“The unbounded nature of this command makes compliance nearly impossible, at the risk of sanctions for any such failure,” government lawyers wrote of a provision requiring them to tell the court “without delay” if anyone seeks to change the park.
“Staying the Order and permitting Defendants to conduct additional…