U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes has emerged as a prominent and, at times, contentious figure in federal courts, particularly in cases involving the Trump administration. Currently presiding over litigation concerning President Donald Trump’s plan to overhaul East Potomac Golf Links, a public golf course on federal parkland in Washington, D.C., Reyes has engaged in sharply worded exchanges with Justice Department attorneys. The case, which centers on whether the administration complied with environmental and historic-preservation laws during the redesign, intensified after the National Park Service removed more than 400 trees from the site this month. The government maintains the tree removal was unrelated to Trump’s broader plans, but Reyes expressed skepticism about the administration’s explanations and has temporarily halted further tree removal.
This confrontation has drawn accusations from the Justice Department, which last week sought Reyes’s recusal, alleging “open hostility” toward the Trump administration. Reyes has denied those claims. Trump responded on social media by labeling her a “crazed lunatic.”
Reyes, nominated to the federal bench by President Joe Biden in 2023, has a record of ruling against the Trump administration on significant issues. In February 2023, she blocked the administration’s attempt to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 350,000 Haitian migrants, denouncing disparaging remarks made by then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem. The Supreme Court ultimately overturned Reyes’s ruling, allowing the TPS expiration. Reyes has also issued an injunction to halt Trump and former Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s ban on transgender military service, criticizing the administration for failing to provide evidence or consult uniformed military leaders. The Supreme Court allowed the ban to proceed pending appeals, although a D.C. Circuit panel upheld much of Reyes’s injunction.
In a high-profile criminal case, Reyes handed down the maximum five-year prison sentence to Charles Littlejohn, a former IRS contractor who leaked Trump’s tax returns along with other wealthy Americans’ financial records to media outlets. Reyes condemned the breach as an attack on constitutional democracy and emphasized the importance of judicial independence. Her stern stance received approval from some Trump attorneys, who viewed her sentence as appropriate.
Reyes’s appointment marked a milestone for diversity on the D.C. federal bench. Born in Uruguay and immigrating to the U.S. at age five, she is the first Hispanic woman and first openly gay judge in the district. Before joining the bench, Reyes worked as a prominent lawyer at Williams & Connolly and graduated from Harvard Law School in 2000.
Known for her outspoken courtroom style and detailed written opinions, Reyes incorporates personal anecdotes, cultural references, and historic quotations in her rulings. She is also noted for bringing her golden retriever, Scout, to chambers. However, her courtroom demeanor has attracted criticism. During a hearing on the transgender military ban, a senior Justice Department official complained about Reyes’s conduct, accusing her of using an attorney as a “physical prop” and making theatrics that went beyond judicial decorum. That complaint was dismissed by the chief judge of the D.C. Circuit, who cited judicial patience allowances in his decision.
As Reyes continues to oversee the East Potomac Golf Links case and other high-profile matters, her judicial style and decisions remain under scrutiny amid ongoing tensions between the courts and the Trump administration.