A federal judge has refused to stop the White House from staging a UFC show this weekend in an elaborate ring already built on the South Lawn to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary — on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled Friday that organizers can use the White House lawn as the venue for Sunday’s planned UFC mixed martial arts event. The nonprofit Public Integrity Project sued to challenge Trump’s UFC Freedom 250 event. The White House calls the lawsuit baseless, saying it's no different from many other events hosted at public forums in the capital.

A federal lawsuit seeks to halt the upcoming UFC fight card on the White House South Lawn in a mixed martial arts show timed for President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and part of the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The filing Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two Virginia resident contends the Trump administration’s authorization of the June 14 event violated National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands. It also says Congress didn't consent to the towering arch overlooking the event space and no environmental review was conducted before the construction. The White House says the lawsuit is “baseless.”