During the hearing, Reyes ordered Justice Department line attorneys in the courtroom to state whether they were willing to sign a brief that Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward had filed the night before, and threatened them with Rule 11 sanctions if they did not come to the podium to sign it. Woodward instructed the lawyers not to answer, calling the demand "incredibly untenable," before Reyes later withdrew her request that the department refile the brief with additional signatures after consulting with her clerks.
The clash followed Reyes's decision earlier Monday to deny a government recusal motion signed only by Woodward. During the hearing, Justice Department lawyers maintained there is "no final plan" for the course and no contract with golf course architect Tom Fazio despite Trump's social media announcement that the facility will close Nov. 15 for a 15 month Fazio redesign. Reyes adjourned without ruling from the bench on whether to issue a broader halt to the project, leaving in place a temporary restraining order that bars further tree cutting through Oct. 26 after crews cleared 430 trees.