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A federal judge has denied a last-minute bid to block the June 14 UFC Freedom 250 event on the White House South Lawn. U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta rejected the plaintiffs’ request, noting that the asserted harms are ancillary and temporary rather than irreparable. Plaintiffs Susan Douglas and Paul Romano argued the private, for-profit event would be an endorsement of Trump and a vanity project for his allies. The weigh-in was planned for the White House grounds amid controversy. Mehta’s ruling required that staging equipment at the Lincoln Memorial be removed by 10:00 a.m. on June 15, 2026. The decision also references broader considerations for the South Lawn events. Economics are part of the calculus, with the event estimated around $60 million. The spectacle was expected to draw 4,000 guests and about 120,000 watching on the Eclipse platform.