Judge rejects legal effort to cancel White House's UFC event

A lawsuit by two Virginia residents had sought to block the high-profile event.

The White House can host an Ultimate Fighting Championship on the South Lawn this weekend, a federal judge ruled on Friday.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta rejected a request to block the high-profile event brought by two Virginia residents who alleged the Trump administration's authorization for the event was unlawful.

In his order, Judge Mehta determined that plaintiffs failed "to establish both a substantial likelihood of standing and irreparable harm" in their lawsuit against the event.

The lawsuit alleged the event -- which included a press conference at the Lincoln Memorial on Friday, ceremonial weigh-in and concert at the Ellipse on Saturday, and the South Lawn fight on Sunday -- violated National Park Service regulations, was improperly permitted, and lacked a necessary environmental review.

In a filing on Wednesday, lawyers with the Public Integrity Project called the event a "corrupt spectacle."

"Such a volcano of corruption, if allowed to go forward, will mark an inflection point in American history," they argued.

Lawyers with the Department of Justice have said the authorization for the event was lawful, comparing it to other events on the South Lawn like Easter Egg Roll, National Christmas Tree Lighting, state dinners, the Congressional Picnic, and a 2022 Elton John Concert.

They also argued that the plaintiffs lack standing and would not be harmed by the event.

"No one is holding Plaintiffs in a jiu jitsu lock, forcing them to watch UFC Freedom 250 against their will," DOJ lawyers wrote on Tuesday. "The public interest does not favor allowing them to exercise a heckler's veto, particularly at this late date."

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