Two Washington-area residents have asked U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta to issue a temporary restraining order preventing the Ultimate Fighting Championship from holding bouts on the White House South Lawn on June 14. In response, the Trump administration filed papers on Tuesday urging the court to deny that request, saying the planned event is lawful and that the challengers delayed bringing their claims.
The administration's filing argued the plaintiffs had not shown they were likely to prevail on the legal claims they advanced, and that they had not demonstrated how they would be harmed by the weekend event. The filing included the observation: "It would be easy enough to simply avert their gazes for the weekend." It went on to accuse the plaintiffs of attempting to use the federal courts to impose their personal preferences on others, saying: "Instead, they seek to enlist the power of a federal court to impose their idiosyncratic preferences on the rest of the country and ruin an event designed to celebrate the United States of America."
The lawsuit alleges that the National Park Service and the Interior Department unlawfully authorized the event and asks the court to set aside that authorization. The plaintiffs argue that sporting events are barred on the White House South Lawn and that the metal arena being assembled for the fights lacks required approval from Congress. The complaint asserts, in part, that "This nation’s public monuments should not be loaned out for private exploitation."
Event organizers have promoted the gathering as "UFC Freedom 250," scheduled to coincide with President Trump's 80th birthday. Plans call for bouts to take place inside a 92-foot-tall (28-meter-tall) octagon-shaped structure, with weigh-ins to be held at the Lincoln Memorial.
The filing from the administration also noted the South Lawn's history of hosting public events and argued that applicable regulations do not categorically bar events there. The court filing and the complaint present competing views of whether the proper approvals were obtained and whether the plaintiffs can show a legally cognizable injury.
The matter moves to a federal courtroom where Judge Mehta will consider whether a temporary restraining order is warranted. The White House has longstanding connections to the UFC; the filing references ties dating back to the early 2000s, when President Trump agreed to host UFC events at his Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. UFC Chief Executive Dana White is identified in filings as a close ally of the president.
What happens next: The court will weigh the timing of the lawsuit, whether plaintiffs have shown likely success on the merits, and whether they have demonstrated concrete harm sufficient to justify extraordinary injunctive relief.