Judge allows White House UFC event to proceed
A federal judge said challengers waited too long and failed to show enough harm to stop the fight planned for Trump’s birthday.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
A federal judge refused to halt a UFC event planned at the White House, clearing the way for the Trump administration to hold the fight on the president’s birthday Sunday. The ruling matters because it lets an unusual sporting event on White House grounds proceed despite claims that it improperly benefits UFC and burdens public space.
US District Judge Amit Mehta issued the decision Friday, according to Al Jazeera, Reuters and The Associated Press. Mehta found that the plaintiffs had not made a sufficient showing that allowing the mixed martial arts fight to go ahead would cause the kind of harm required for emergency court relief.
Mehta also pointed to the timing of the case. In his ruling, he wrote that the UFC fight date had been known well in advance and that, in the setting of an emergency request, the plaintiffs “unreasonably delayed bringing suit,” weakening their claim that they faced irreparable harm.
The event, called UFC Freedom 250, was planned as part of celebrations tied to the United States’ upcoming 250th anniversary of independence, according to Al Jazeera, Reuters and AP. A fighting cage had already been built on the South Lawn of the White House before the ruling.
Challenge focused on White House grounds
The lawsuit was brought by the nonprofit Public Integrity Project, according to the news organizations. Its lawyers argued on behalf of an activist and a veteran of the US war in Vietnam that the construction would create “aesthetic harms” on White House grounds.
The challenge cited a 92-foot-tall, 600-tonne steel structure known as The Claw, according to the plaintiffs’ lawyers. They argued that placing the structure at the White House would harm the setting and public character of the grounds.
The plaintiffs’ lawyers also alleged an improper relationship between Trump and people or organizations positioned to benefit from the event. In a court filing quoted by Al Jazeera, Reuters and AP, they said the administration was giving UFC “an extraordinary business opportunity” and that UFC would stage an event where its leaders, fighters, advertisers and celebrities would pay tribute to the president on his birthday.
Mehta rejected the emergency request. He said the aesthetic-harm argument was weakened by a White House official’s representation that The Claw would be taken apart and removed beginning Monday.
The judge also addressed Trump’s comments about the structure. Mehta wrote that the president’s “musings about permanency” did not change the court’s view given the White House official’s statement about removal.
The ruling does not resolve every broader criticism of the event, but it denies the immediate bid to stop it before Sunday. As a result, the administration can continue preparations for the UFC fight at the White House unless another court order intervenes, according to the Friday decision.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.