Judge With Trump History to Rule on Lawsuit on UFC Fight at White House

A lawsuit seeking to block a planned UFC event on White House grounds has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta, a federal judge who has previously ruled against President Donald Trump in a series of high-profile cases.

Mehta, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, will now oversee a challenge to the Trump administration’s approval of “UFC Freedom 250,” a mixed martial arts event scheduled for the White House South Lawn on June 14. The judge has handled litigation dating back to 2019, during Trump’s first term, connected to the president, the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, and several of his closest allies.

What To Know

A lawsuit over the planned UFC event at the White House was filed on June 6 by activists Susan Douglas and Paul Romano against the National Park Service and other federal defendants. It describes the planned event as "deeply corrupt," arguing that the UFC and its commercial partners are being allowed to profit from access to some of the nation’s most iconic federal sites.

The plaintiffs argue that the for-profit event is being organized and executed by the UFC and its commercial partners rather than the federal government, meaning it does not qualify for special authorization under temporary rules adopted for America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.

The complaint also notes that the event is due to be held on Trump's 80th birthday, though UFC Chief Executive Dana White has maintained that this is a coincidence.

In a previous statement to Newsweek, the White House dismissed the legal challenge as an “obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory” attempt to block “what will undoubtedly go down as one of the most historic sporting events in our Nation's history during our semiquincentennial celebration.”

It added that the event is “no different than the various other White House-hosted events on the South Lawn and properly permitted events on the Ellipse and National Mall throughout the year.”

Mehta's Previous Rulings

Mehta, who sits on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, was assigned to preside over the UFC event case on June 7. He has previously overseen disputes involving Trump’s financial records, January 6-related civil litigation, and criminal cases involving some of the president’s advisers and supporters.

Some of his most notable rulings relating to Trump and his allies include:

• May 2019: Mehta upheld a House Oversight Committee subpoena seeking Trump’s financial records from accounting firm Mazars, rejecting Trump’s effort to block the request and finding the committee had a valid legislative purpose.
• July 2019: Mehta sided with pharmaceutical companies and struck down a Trump administration rule requiring drugmakers to include prescription drug prices in television advertisements, ruling that the policy exceeded the Department of Health and Human Services' statutory authority.
• February 2022: Mehta rejected Trump’s bid to dismiss multiple lawsuits connected to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol under his claims of "absolute immunity." He ruled that Trump was not entitled to immunity from the claims as plaintiffs had plausibly alleged conduct outside the scope of his official presidential duties.
• November 2022: Mehta presided over the trial of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and later sentenced him after Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy in connection with the January 6 Capitol riot.
• January 2024: Mehta sentenced former Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro to four months in prison after Navarro was convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the House January 6 committee.

What Happens Next

Mehta will first decide whether the plaintiffs have standing and whether they meet the high bar for urgent court intervention to pause or block the event. With the UFC event set for June 14, any request for an injunction would likely be fast-tracked and considered on an expedited basis.

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This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 7:46 AM.