WASHINGTON — A federal court decision on Friday cleared the way for a mixed martial arts spectacle to take place this weekend on White House grounds, despite legal efforts to halt the controversial event.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta dismissed a challenge brought by a legal advocacy organization seeking to prevent Sunday’s planned UFC competition from proceeding on the South Lawn. The event is scheduled to coincide with both President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday celebration and commemorations of America’s 250th anniversary.
In his ruling, Mehta determined that those bringing the lawsuit probably lack the legal authority to contest the event and haven’t demonstrated they would experience lasting damage if the competition moves forward. The judge also pointed to the challengers’ delayed response to an event that has been under development for several months.
“In the context of an emergency application — and coupled with the fact that the UFC fight date was long ago known — it is fair to say Plaintiffs unreasonably delayed bringing suit, undercutting their claims of irreparable harm,” Mehta wrote.
Legal representatives from the nonprofit Public Integrity Project filed the court action on behalf of an activist and a Vietnam War veteran, challenging Trump’s “UFC Freedom 250” event. The lawsuit also sought to prevent construction of event infrastructure on White House property, including a massive 92-foot-tall, 600-ton steel framework known as The Claw.
The judge observed that any visual disruption claimed by the challengers would be short-lived, as The Claw is set for removal beginning Monday morning, with all staging materials at the Lincoln Memorial required to be cleared beforehand. “The President’s musings about permanency of the Claw does not move the dial in the face of a White House official’s clear representation,” the judge wrote.
White House representatives characterized the legal action as an unfounded effort to stop Trump from conducting an event similar to numerous other gatherings regularly held at public venues throughout the nation’s capital.
According to the plaintiffs’ legal team, Trump’s administration lacks authority to approve sporting competitions on the South Lawn or at the Lincoln Memorial, where UFC athletes were scheduled to conduct a fan event on Friday. They emphasized that this represents a private, commercial enterprise, with premium access packages priced in the millions.
“The President’s administration is granting the UFC an extraordinary business opportunity it may not lawfully grant, and in exchange the UFC is throwing an event at which its leadership, fighters, advertisers, and various celebrities will all pay tribute to the President on his birthday,” plaintiffs’ attorneys wrote.
Public Integrity Project attorney Brendan Ballou expressed disappointment with the court’s ruling while maintaining respect for the decision, stating their intention to “keep bringing cases to raise the cost of corruption in America.”
“This isn’t a case about a sporting event, it’s about corruption, as a handful of people and companies stand to profit from our public monuments,” Ballou said in a statement.
The lawsuit names the National Park Service and the Interior Department as defendants.
Trump made history in 2019 during his initial presidency by becoming the first sitting president to attend a UFC competition. The Republican president maintains a friendship with UFC president and CEO Dana White.
Judge Mehta received his appointment from President Barack Obama, a Democrat. He has overseen additional Trump-related litigation, including civil cases alleging Trump encouraged supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, following his 2020 presidential election loss to Joe Biden, a Democrat.
