US Judge Rejects Bid to Stop Planned White House UFC Event (1)

President Donald Trump’s Ultimate Fighting Championship event will go on as planned on the White House grounds after a federal judge rejected an eleventh-hour bid to stop it.

The ruling from Judge Amit Mehta of the US District Court for the District of Columbia on Friday denying a temporary restraining order or other interim action came two days ahead of the scheduled mixed-martial arts event, dubbed the “UFC Freedom 250.”

Mehta, a Barack Obama appointee, said the plaintiffs failed to establish a substantial likelihood of standing and irreparable harm. He also said the public interest weighs against emergency relief.

The event is part of planned celebrations for the upcoming 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

It’s set to be held on the White House South Lawn on Sunday, in a large staging structure known as “the Claw.” It’s also Trump’s 80th birthday.

Two Virginia residents lodged a bid to halt the event. They argued in a June 6 lawsuit that it conflicts with federal laws restricting private use of national parks, and that the administration can’t build the stage structure without congressional approval or before undergoing environmental reviews.

The National Park Service issued a temporary exemption to these restrictions last year for special events “planned, organized, and executed” by the government for 250th anniversary celebrations.

The suit alleged, citing news reports, that the fight is a “private, for-profit sports event” organized by the UFC and its advertisers and thus wouldn’t fit the criteria for this exception.

The Justice Department countered the lawsuit came too late, as the event was announced almost a year ago and the White House and UFC have already “expended enormous time and vast resources” in preparation.

DOJ invoked past instances where presidents have hosted sporting events or stood up structures on the White House lawn, including George W. Bush’s annual tee-ball game, Joe Biden’s ice-skating rink, and a 2022 performance by Elton John on a temporary covered stage.

The legal challenge to the UFC event is one of several that have contested Trump’s renovations of or changes to Washington’s historic monuments and grounds.

Other lawsuits have targeted the demolition of the White House East Wing to build a ballroom, renaming of the Kennedy Center, and proposals to paint the granite exterior of an 19th-century White House office building and build a 250-foot triumphal arch.

The case is Douglas v. National Park Service, D.D.C., No. 1:26-cv-02016, 6/12/26.