Overview
- U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes ordered the government to publish the names of officials who worked on the East Potomac planning proposal and the Justice Department produced the list just before a court deadline.
- Reyes moved to appoint a former federal prosecutor as a special master to investigate whether DOJ and Interior officials misled the court and whether ethics or legal sanctions are warranted.
- At a daylong hearing on Friday the judge warned she will seek sanctions or contempt “in a zeptosecond” if she finds credible evidence that records were destroyed and she compelled preservation of government files dating back to August 1, 2025.
- The Justice Department has acknowledged that the administration plans to close the park on Nov. 15, but Reyes expressed sharp skepticism about the government’s safety rationale, noting the seawall concerns were raised only recently despite a marathon that routed 30,000 people through the area.
- Preservation groups and golfers seek an order to block the closure while litigation over whether proper environmental and historic-preservation reviews under NEPA and the NHPA were bypassed proceeds, and the judge is expected to rule on emergency requests in the coming days.