Why an Obama-appointed judge just ruled in favor of Trump's White House UFC
· Yahoo Sports
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, rejected an attempt to block Sunday’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) card at the White House.
A lawsuit over the event was filed on June 6 by activists Susan Douglas and Paul Romano against the National Park Service and other federal defendants, arguing that it is “deeply corrupt.” They alleged that the UFC and its commercial partners are being allowed to profit from access to some of the nation’s most iconic federal sites.
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Why Obama-Appointed Judge Rejected UFC Event Challenge
On Friday, however, Mehta rejected a request to halt the fight at the White House, finding that the plaintiffs failed to “establish both a substantial likelihood of standing and irreparable harm.” He also ruled that the “equities and public interest weigh against emergency relief.”
He found that any harms the plaintiffs may face over the fight are “decidedly temporary” as the arena outside the White House is not permanent.
He said they have “not established a substantial likelihood of standing” and that the “public interest weighs against the court wading into a dispute when jurisdiction is less than certain.”
Construction continues on the UFC “Claw” outside the White House in Washington on June 11, 2026.He also pointed to the timing of the case, noting that significant time, labor and funding have already gone into organizing the event.
“The potential loss of those dollars resulting from a last-minute, court-ordered stoppage cannot be ignored,” he wrote.
Davis Ingle, a White House spokesperson, responded to the ruling in a statement to Newsweek.
“The court rightly rejected an untimely and frivolous effort to halt the historic UFC event hosted to honor the 250th anniversary of our Nation,” he said. “The White House is thankful for this correct decision and looks forward to hosting this once-in-a-lifetime celebration on the South Lawn.”
Newsweek also reached out to the Public Integrity Project, which has represented the plaintiffs, via email for comment.
When Will White House UFC Event Take Place?
The main event is scheduled for Sunday, coinciding with Flag Day and President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday. Preliminary matches begin at 4 p.m. ET, with the main event starting at 8. UFC CEO Dana White has described the event as the “historic sporting event in history, and it’s a night where every single fight has the potential to be Fight of the Night.”
This is a developing story.
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