A federal judge is poised to rule on a lawsuit seeking to stop Sunday’s UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House, after plaintiffs challenged the event’s billing and alleged harm tied to use of the Lincoln Memorial. The government urged the court to deny emerg
The timing could not be sharper for the people trying to halt UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.
On Sunday. June 14. the UFC plans to hold fights and related programming on White House grounds. while also using the Lincoln Memorial for a press conference and face-offs Friday. By Wednesday night, at about 9 p.m. ET. a federal filing had put the question in front of Judge Amit Mehta—appointed by former President Barack Obama—along with a request for immediate emergency relief.
The lawsuit asks the court to stop the event through a temporary restraining order. or—if the court moves faster or deeper than expected—an expeditated preliminary injunction. The plaintiffs’ argument goes well beyond where the event is happening. They accuse the government and the event organizers of corruption and aim to block what they call illegal use of the Memorial chamber.
Plaintiffs object to how the event is described. The filing says the billing calls the event “a celebration of the 250th Anniversary of American Independence.” In their view, that framing clashes with the details of what is scheduled and the harms they say are coming.
Their filing asks the federal district court in Washington, D.C. to intervene before the weekend. “Such a volcano of corruption, if allowed to go forward, will mark an inflection point in American history,” the plaintiffs stated in their Wednesday filing.
The government’s response pushed back hard, and it landed on a procedural point first: delay. The civil lawsuit was filed June 6. In Tuesday night’s opposition memorandum, the defendants— the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior—argued the emergency request should be rejected and criticized the plaintiffs for an “inexcusable,” so-called delay.
Still, the plaintiffs countered that they acted quickly once they believed the harm was real and fully understood. “Plaintiffs acted promptly as soon as their injuries accrued and the full scope of the event’s lawlessness became clear. ” their filing states. adding that “the equities favor enjoining the corrupt spectacle now. before the damage is done for good.”.
The fight centers on more than the South Lawn. The plaintiffs say the event involves the White House grounds and also the Lincoln Memorial, where the UFC said it will host a press conference and face-offs Friday.
A “principal goal of this litigation has, since the start, been to block the UFC’s illegal use of the Memorial chamber,” the plaintiffs wrote.
In their filings, the plaintiffs named specific people and described the nature of the harm they say would follow. The concerns were raised by Paul Romano, a Vietnam War veteran, and Susan Douglas, a longtime civil activist and organizer. Both live in Virginia and work to preserve Washington’s monumental spaces. according to a news release from the Public Integrity Project. which filed the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs argued that the Lincoln Memorial chamber would be exploited as a prop for fighter face-offs. Their filing says: “As set forth in their declarations, both Plaintiffs will suffer irreparable harm if the Lincoln Memorial chamber is exploited as a prop for fighter face-offs.”
The government’s memorandum disputed at least one element of the harm theory, taking issue with what it called the “aesthetic” harm cited by the plaintiffs.
On the White House grounds. plaintiffs argued that the use of the South Lawn turns into a profit opportunity tied to political power. Their filing says. “UFC Freedom 250 is a for-profit endeavor from which the President and his allies stand to profit.” It goes on to argue that “it is because of this fundamental corruption that Plaintiffs are entitled to preliminary relief against the Sunday night fights on the South Lawn.”.
The plaintiffs also pointed to a concession they said was made after the lawsuit was filed. One involves “The Claw,” as the UFC calls the arena—a 92-foot, 600-ton arena constructed on the South Lawn.
Even with the legal urgency, the court still has to weigh competing interests. The plaintiffs asked the judge to consider harm to them against the burden on the government if a temporary restraining order were granted and the event halted. Their filing says: “Between Defendants and Plaintiffs. the balance of equities and public interest tip decidedly in the latter’s favor. as there is no public interest in letting the government break the law.”.
The dispute sets up a tight deadline and an unusually high-stakes collision between federal oversight of national sites and an event that has moved quickly through the final stretch of planning. The filings show how quickly the legal fight has intensified: a lawsuit filed June 6. emergency arguments continuing through Tuesday night and Wednesday night. and a judge—now free to rule and schedule hearings—standing between an announced weekend fight card and the plaintiffs’ claim that irreparable damage would follow if it proceeds.
UFC Freedom 250 White House event Amit Mehta National Park Service Department of the Interior temporary restraining order preliminary injunction Lincoln Memorial South Lawn federal lawsuit Public Integrity Project