Judge Declines to Halt U.F.C. Fight at the White House on Trumps Birthday

A federal judge on Friday declined to block the White House from holding cage fights on the South Lawn on President Trump’s birthday, just days before the Sunday event was set to take place.Responding to a last-ditch emergency motion, Judge Amit P.Mehta wrote that it was not clear that the two individuals who sued over the Ultimate Fighting Championship matches would be sufficiently harmed by the one-off event to give them legal standing to challenge it.The two claimants had argued that the use of the White House and Lincoln Memorial as a backdrop for fights could provide an inappropriate financial benefit to the private company that arranged it.

But Judge Mehta wrote that they failed to detail how their interests outweighed those of everyone involved in bringing the project to fruition.The organizers, Judge Mehta wrote, “point to the near yearlong planning of the event; coordination with multiple government agencies, including the Secret Service; site work that began May 20 and has involved between 700 to 900 workers; multiple equipment deliveries; event ticketing logistics; and preparations of the contracted U.F.C.fighters.”“And then there is the $60 million that the U.F.C.

and U.F.C.-affiliated organizations have expended to put on the event,” he continued.“The potential loss of those dollars resulting from a last-minute, court-ordered stoppage cannot be ignored.”The event may encounter another last-minute obstacle, with the threat of storms in the area on Sunday.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

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