It is the latest setback to president Donald Trump’s plan to transform East Potomac Park into a championship-level golf course for professional players. (EPA Images pic)WASHINGTON: A federal judge on Saturday ordered that a riverside public park in Washington must remain open for now, rather than being closed for renovations sought by US President Donald Trump.

It is the latest setback for Trump's plan to turn East Potomac Park into a championship-level course geared toward professional golfers.

In a 30-page decision, US District Judge Ana Reyes temporarily blocked the federal government from moving forward with a plan that would have closed the area on Sunday. Trump said in an Oct 18 social media post that the closure would last 15 months and would transform the park's golf offerings into "one of the Best and Most Spectacular Golf Courses anywhere in the World."