Reyes warned that "someone is going to take responsibility for what happens in this courtroom" and said she would not allow an ongoing game of "whack-a-mole" over who ordered the clearing of 430 trees at the park. After restoring the public audio line five hours into the proceeding, she also demanded that Justice Department lawyers state on the record that she was not yelling at them; Woodward declined to answer, while plaintiffs' attorney Abbe Lowell said she was not.
The clash followed Reyes's earlier demand that Justice Department career attorneys in the courtroom come to the podium to sign a brief Woodward had filed alone, prompting criticism from Senator Mike Lee that she was subjecting the lawyers to a "loyalty test" after denying the government's recusal motion. Trump had attacked Reyes on Truth Social before the hearing as a "crazed lunatic" and insisted the Interior Department had an "absolute right" to begin the 15 month golf course renovation immediately without court approval, despite her temporary restraining order halting tree removal through Oct. 26.