Judge wants to know if Trump attorneys violated ethics in one of 2 cases to change the DC landscape

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge said Friday she would open a “formal inquiry” to investigate if attorneys for the Trump administration violated ethical boundaries during a legal dispute about a golf-course project — one in a pair of plans that are revealing the breadth of the president's attempts to mold parts of the District of Columbia to his own vision.

The two cases, unfolding at the same time in the same federal courthouse, also showcase the underlying executive authority claims that lie beneath them — a glimpse into the uses of presidential power under Donald Trump.

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes' declaration that the court would appoint a “special master” to investigate whether agency officials and Justice Department attorneys had made misrepresentations in the court is a far cry from her relationship with the government until this month. She had rejected numerous motions from the plaintiffs to step in earlier, saying she trusted the government attorneys.

The cases involved are an impending shutdown and reconfiguration of a historic public golf course and the construction of a monumental arch that, at 250 feet (75 meters), would be 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty is from its base to the top of the torch. The two projects are barely three miles, or five kilometers, apart.

The hearing on the golf course change began as other recent ones have: Reyes grilled Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. over how Trump’s desires to turn the golf course, near the National Mall, into a world-class facility have become urgent plans that match his public pronouncements.

Reyes stopped the hearing several times and adjourned to her chambers to check previous transcripts of the trial as she questioned Woodward. Among the things she wants investigated: Was a National Park Service official told to exclude details in a court declaration? Did witnesses offer misleading testimony about the extent of plans in place for the course's closure and renovation?

Reyes ordered Friday’s hearing after multiple Truth Social posts by Trump indicated that there were plans for the golf course and construction was expected to begin Nov. 15. Trump said the park would be closed for 15 months while work goes on.

The presidential posts, which began Oct. 18, created a tense dynamic in multiple court hearings afterward when officials from the Interior Department, Justice and National Park Service could not confirm the existence of the plans under questioning from Reyes. She eventually asked whom she should trust. The Justice Department filed notice Wednesday night that the plans were real.

“On Friday, October 30, 2026, the National Park Service will submit to the National Capital Planning Commission for review a rendering designed by Tom Fazio for a World Class, championship-level golf course that is capable of hosting major events," the notice said.

Reyes locked in on the filing and Trump’s multiple Truth Social announcements as she questioned Woodward.

At one point, as they talked about plans that Woodward said only came about this week, he slipped and included tree cutting as part of the preparation for the closure.

Reyes responded immediately: “News flash.” She allowed him to correct himself that the tree cutting, which occurred earlier this month, was not part of the plan to close the East Potomac Golf Links.

The golf course lawsuit was one of two cases in court Friday dealing with the Trump administration’s push to expand its executive authority as the president remakes the federal areas of the capital near the National Mall and along the Potomac River.

Three courtrooms away, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan questioned the Justice Department attorney extensively at a hearing prompted in part by the administration's court filing that it hoped to get final approval for the arch project on Nov. 5 and possibly begin construction that same day.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit challenging the construction asked for the preliminary injunction after the Oct. 21 court notification.

Chutkan, like Reyes has in other hearings, asked what the urgency was and how would the government be harmed “apart from the executive's desire to bedazzle the city” if she issues a preliminary injunction while the lawsuit plays out. Robert Stander, the government's attorney, said the arch was “absolutely a high priority project” and Chutkan stepping in would impede the work of the government.

Chutkan and Stander also engaged in a discussion over the recent court filings by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who talked about defensive structures, including drones, that will be part of the arch. Chutkan noted that it was the first time throughout the case that the government had framed the arch as a national defense matter. Stander had no details on what those defensive plans might entail.

The government submitted a 106-page plan for the arch Friday that does not mention drones or defense. The plan depicts a massive arch more than 12 stories high that includes a huge bronze statue of Lady Liberty with wings and carrying a torch with an eternal flame. The structure will include an observation deck with views to the east and west, an “occupied roof” and two mezzanines.

Inside the arch are rooms for program space, offices, a staff lounge, circular staircases, multiple elevators and a “fire command center.” The project proposes significant traffic changes in the area, including rerouting traffic on nearby roads.

.One of the plaintiffs, Michael Lemmon, an Army veteran who served as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, said during testimony at the hearing that he routinely visits the Vietnam Veterans Memorial before walking toward the cemetery to pay respects to fallen comrades buried there. “It means an intense amount to me to be able to continue to do that,” he said. “The pain is real for us veterans. It’s not just an aesthetic (concern), not just some preference for a few.”

Lemmon said he is disturbed by the prospect of seeing a “monstrous” arch loom over the cemetery.

“This is hallowed ground. This is really sacred territory,” he said.

Shaun Byrnes, a Navy veteran who was badly wounded while serving during the Vietnam War, said the arch’s construction would force him to reconsider his intention to be interred in Arlington National Cemetery along with former shipmates. In a court filing, Byrnes said he views the arch as a “symbol that violates our Nation’s resistance to the rule of a king and our Nation’s commitment to the rule of the people.”

“I don’t want to be part of that,” he told Chutkan.

The plaintiffs say the construction is unlawful and must be endorsed by Congress.

Legal experts who have been watching the numerous cases underway say that what might appear at first glance to be vanity projects are in truth cases that test the limits of presidential power.

Past administrations pursued legal theories that were sometimes legally sound, sometimes not, said David Super, law professor at the Georgetown University Law Center.

“But there was always the assumption that you would try to do things that were legal,” he said. “What we’re seeing here now is that if you think the federal courts can’t stop you,” you can break the law.

That’s ”going to do long-term damage to the country,” Super said.

Associated Press reporters Michael Kunzelman and Matthew Daly contributed to this story.

A golfer putts as trees are removed at East Potomac Park Golf Course, Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

FILE - A mockup of President Donald Trump's proposed triumphal arch stands at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, June 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck, File)

People drive a golf cart past ongoing tree removal at East Potomac Park Golf Course, Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Russia must be allowed to return to ice hockey's international tournaments, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled on Friday, overturning an exclusion in place since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The ruling is a major win for Russia against efforts to bar it from international sports due to the war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin is a noted hockey fan who has previously played exhibition games with former stars.

CAS overturned IIHF decisions which excluded Russia from events in the 2026-27 season, including the men’s and women’s world championships and world juniors. Russia also missed the Olympic tournaments this year.

Russia's return throws into uncertainty how the men's world championship will work next year in Germany, given that Ukraine has also qualified.

In a brief statement, CAS cited a lack of sufficient evidence to support the IIHF’s security concerns.

CAS said its ruling did not address issues such as whether Russia should be required to play without national symbols as a team of neutral athletes, as in some other Olympic sports, or other “organizational consequences.”

The IIHF expressed disappointment with the ruling and said it “maintains that its decisions were necessary to protect the safety and security of all participants and safeguard the integrity of its competitions."

“While the IIHF respects the authority of CAS and will act in accordance with its ruling, the outcome does not remove the concerns that informed its assessments.”

Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyaryov wrote on the Telegram social media app that CAS “recognized the demands of the Russian Hockey Federation on key points as justified.”

The ruling is an immediate challenge for new IIHF President Franz Reindl, whose home country of Germany hosts the men's world championship next year.

“Our task now is to implement this ruling responsibly,” Reindl said in a statement. "Several championships are only weeks away, and changes to participation affect many people; players, teams, organizing committees and host cities. We will work closely with all of them to find practical solutions.”

German hockey federation chairman Frank H. Lutz said on Friday that Germany remains opposed to letting Russia take part and that “allowing Russia in has significant security, political and financial consequences for us as hosts.”

It's not clear how Russia would fit back in, since the draw has already been determined. Adding an extra team would make for uneven groups and an even longer tournament to fit in more games.

Kicking out a qualified team to make way for Russia would risk a backlash, especially if that team is Ukraine. It was last to qualify for the men's worlds, ending a 20-year wait, and is ranked lowest among the 16 teams currently taking part.

The Ukrainian Hockey Federation said it disagreed with the ruling and argued that security concerns had only intensified since 2022. Ukraine didn't indicate how it would approach the world championship.

The IIHF signaled “practical arrangements” would be decided after it has assessed the ruling.

The national hockey federations in Canada, Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic all said they were disappointed by the ruling, but Swedish Ice Hockey Association chairman Anders Larsson told Swedish news agency TT that “a boycott is not on the table.” Finland indicated individual players could opt out of tournaments which include Russia.

Hockey Canada in a statement said the implications of the ruling are not immediately clear and that the organization had briefed its federal government on the situation.

The first tournament where Russia could return is the men's world junior championship hosted by Canada in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, starting on Dec. 26.

Other events covered by the ruling are the women's world championship in Canada in November 2027, the men's under-18 world championship starting in April in Minnesota, and women's under-18 world championship in the Czech Republic in January.

A Russian team playing under its national flag, rather than as neutrals, could have political repercussions in the Czech Republic.

“As the president has stated several times in the past, as long as Russian aggression continues he considers it appropriate to ban the participation of athletes under the Russian and Belarusian flags," a spokesperson for Czech President Petr Pavel said.

The women's worlds beginning next week in Denmark are not affected because it counts as part of the 2025-26 season and was moved to November.

Russia/the Soviet Union’s 27 titles are second only to Canada’s 28 at men's worlds. Russia last won gold in 2014. Russia's best result at women's worlds is bronze.

Since 2022, Russia has organized exhibition games with developmental rosters, mostly against neighbors Belarus and Kazakhstan. The IIHF has also excluded Belarus, citing the same concerns as it did for Russia. There was no mention of Belarus in Friday's CAS ruling.

While the CAS ruling has no effect on the NHL, league officials have said they would follow the lead of the international community when it comes to Russian participation.

The NHL and NHL Players’ Association are running the 2028 World Cup of Hockey without the IIHF and national federations.

Asked about Russia last month, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said: “I think we know what our thinking is on World Cup of Hockey. We don’t need to make that decision yet, and the more information you have to make any decision, the better the decision will be.”

The hockey win at CAS is part of a broader shift in the Olympic movement toward reintegrating Russia, which had only small squads of “neutral athletes” at the 2024 Paris Olympics and this year's Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Swimming and volleyball allowed Russia to compete under its national flag this year. The International Olympic Committee eased its approach too, with a Russian team at the Youth Olympics this week.

Russia's next focus could be soccer, where its national teams and clubs remain excluded from major competitions.

Russian soccer federation general secretary Maxim Mitrofanov said it should be “one rule for all” in comments reported by state news agency Tass.

FIFA and European governing body UEFA have barred Russian teams from World Cup qualifying and the Champions League since 2022, when FIFA told CAS that boycott threats by Russia's upcoming opponents risked making the World Cup “chaotic.”

FIFA allowed a Russia boys' team to play under its national flag in the inaugural Under-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan, which began last week and ends on Saturday.

The Russian track and field federation said on Friday the hockey decision gave it “confidence” in its own CAS case against World Athletics, the last big Olympic sport with a blanket ban on Russian athletes.

Stephen Whyno in New York and Karel Janicek in Brno, Czech Republic, contributed to this report.

See AP’s full sports coverage here

FILE - Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev attends the plenary session of the 'Russia is The Country of Sports' forum in Samara, Russia, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (Sergei Karpukhin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

FILE - Russia players celebrate during the Ice Hockey World Championship group A match between the Russia and Sweden in Riga, Latvia, May 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Roman Koksarov, File)