The written decision follows a contentious Monday emergency hearing over the removal of 430 of the 729 trees slated for felling after Justice Department lawyers notified the court and preservationist plaintiffs at 4:55 p.m. on the Friday before a holiday weekend. When a government attorney told the court during the hearing that officials had done their best, Reyes replied, "No you did not do your best. You did your absolute worst," and added that the lack of notice had cost the government all credibility in the case.
The order requires the government to provide three business days of written notice before making any permanent changes to the course and directs Interior Department Deputy Chief of Staff Gregory Wischer and National Park Service official Jessica Bowron to give sworn testimony at an Oct. 19 evidentiary hearing. National Park Service officials testified Monday that 20 to 40 workers reassigned from America 250 projects carried out the clearing to restore the public course to a 1920s links style layout with fewer trees.