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Judge denies Justice Department request to step aside in DC golf course case

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 7 outlets across the spectrum.

16 articles in total, 2 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Golf course with tree-clearing machinery, workers in hi-vis vests, golf cart and golfer.
Image via The New York TimesHow images are chosenReport this image

The Justice Department asked U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes to step aside from a lawsuit over the renovation of the East Potomac golf course in Washington, according to The New York Times, The Washington Times, Newsweek and The Hill. The department accused her of bias after she yelled at a government attorney over hundreds of trees cut down without notice, and the administration said she was violating the basic norms of impartiality. Reyes denied the request in a 13-page opinion, writing that the government had not met its burden to show that her actions and words demanded disqualification. The judge had earlier ordered several senior officials to testify about whether President Trump prodded them to cut the trees, according to The New York Times and The Washington Times. Just the News reports that she had also granted a temporary restraining order against further renovation work.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. The Justice Department asked Judge Ana Reyes to step aside from the East Potomac golf course case.

    Reported byLeft1Center2Right1Far Right3See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times
    Center
    Newsweek, The Hill
    Right
    The Washington Times
    Far Right
    Just the News, RedState, The Epoch Times

  2. Judge Reyes denied the recusal request, writing that the government had not met its burden to show her actions and words demanded disqualification.

    Reported byCenter1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    The Hill
    Far Right
    Just the News, The Epoch Times

  3. The dispute followed a hearing where Reyes yelled at a government attorney over hundreds of trees cut down on the course without notice.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    The Washington Times
    Far Right
    Just the News

  4. President Trump wants to renovate East Potomac Park into a championship-style golf course.

    Reported byCenter1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    The Washington Times
    Far Right
    Just the News

  5. Reyes had ordered several senior Trump administration officials to testify about whether the president prodded them to cut the trees.

    Reported byLeft1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times
    Right
    The Washington Times

  6. The administration said Reyes showed bias toward Trump officials and poor treatment of government lawyers.

    One outletJust the News· Far Right

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • Judge Reyes showed bias toward Trump officials and mistreated government lawyers.

    The Trump administration says she did, citing her yelling at a government attorney; Reyes ruled that the government had not met its burden to show her actions and words demanded disqualification.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side present reports that the Justice Department asked Judge Ana Reyes to step aside from the golf course case. The right stresses the administration's bias accusations and her clash with its lawyers, while the center and left report the demand itself, with the center adding her refusal.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    Only The New York Times is present; its headline and description present the Justice Department's recusal demand as an escalating standoff with the judge and do not mention her response.

    Justice Department Seeks to Disqualify Judge Overseeing Golf Course Lawsuit
    The New York TimesLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    Headlines report the DOJ's demand that the judge step aside and her refusal, with Newsweek leading on the DOJ's accusation that she questioned its lawyers' intelligence.

    Judge refuses DOJ’s demand to step aside from golf course hearing
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    4 outlets · 1 opinion

    Headlines stress the administration moving to remove or oust the judge; the far-right RedState opinion piece mocks the escalation, while Just the News and The Epoch Times lead on her refusal.

    DOJ moves to Loaded verb“oust”Oust implies forcing someone out of office, while the story reports a request that the judge step aside from one case.More neutral: asks to removeDisagree with this highlight? judge who said Trump was behind tree-cutting at National Mall golf course
    The Washington TimesRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right5

    attemptsyelled atoustGrudge Match

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    attemptsMore neutral: seeks

    Attempts implies the effort may fail, which the coverage does not establish; a neutral verb reports the filing.

    Trump admin attempts to remove judge in DC golf course case

    Used byJust the News (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    yelled atMore neutral: criticized

    Yelled characterizes the judge's manner more strongly than a neutral account of her criticism of the lawyers.

    The Justice Department has asked the federal judge who yelled at DOJ lawyers in a hearing Monday to remove herself from the case, just days before…

    Used byThe Washington Times (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    oustMore neutral: asks to remove

    Oust implies forcing someone out of office, while the story reports a request that the judge step aside from one case.

    DOJ moves to oust judge who said Trump was behind tree-cutting at National Mall golf course

    Used byThe Washington Times (Right)

  • Sensational language

    Grudge MatchMore neutral: Judge Reyes rejects recusal request

    Presents a court dispute as a personal feud, adding drama that the filings do not state.

    Golf Course Grudge Match: Judge Reyes Rejects Recusal, Clashes With DOJ's No.

    Used byRedState (Far Right)

Show 1 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded verb

    Clashes WithMore neutral: disagrees with

    Describes a legal disagreement as a fight between the two sides.

    Golf Course Grudge Match: Judge Reyes Rejects Recusal, Clashes With DOJ's No.

    Used byRedState (Far Right)

Words quoted from someone else (1)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

  • Sensational language

    Quoted

    egregious behaviorMore neutral: improper conduct

    A strong evaluative label that is the administration's own judgement, not a neutral description of the conduct.

    …lawyers, as well as disregarding the separation of powers, calling it "egregious behavior." VIP access to exclusive Just the News newsmaker events hosted by John Solomon…

    Quoted byJust the News (Far Right)

    These are The Trump administration’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the Justice Department's demand
  • the standoff with the judge
  • the judge's order that officials testify

Leaves out

  • the judge's refusal to step aside, absent from the supplied text

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • the DOJ's demand for recusal
  • the judge's refusal
  • the judge's hostility toward government lawyers
See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
  • The HillCenter

    Judge refuses DOJ’s demand to step aside from golf course hearing

    A federal judge refused the Justice Department’s (DOJ) demand to step aside from a key hearing on Monday over the future of East Potomac Park, which President Trump wants to renovate into a championship-style golf course. The Trump administration has accused U.S. …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)
  • NewsweekCenter

    Trump DOJ Says Judge Questioned Its Lawyers’ Intelligence

    The DOJ seeks to remove Judge Ana Reyes, accusing her of hostility toward government lawyers in a fight over a D.C. golf course.

    Read at Newsweek (opens in a new tab)

From the right

4 outlets · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • the administration's effort to remove the judge
  • the judge's yelling at DOJ lawyers
  • Trump's role in the tree cutting

Leaves out

  • the ruling denying recusal, absent from the Washington Times and RedState text

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 5 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    The New York Times, Oct 16, 10:32 PM EDT

  • Center

    19 hr 7 min later

    Its first report, Oct 17, 5:39 PM EDT

  • Right

    11 hr 38 min later

    Its first report, Oct 17, 10:10 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The New York TimesLeftOct 16, 10:32 PM EDT
  2. The Washington TimesRightOct 17, 10:10 AM EDT
  3. NewsweekCenterOct 17, 5:39 PM EDT
  4. The HillCenterOct 19, 7:18 AM EDT
  5. The Epoch TimesFar RightOct 19, 7:54 AM EDT
  6. Washington ExaminerRightOct 19, 8:14 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out. Just the News gave only a date, so it is not placed.

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