A U.S. federal judge on Tuesday (local time) dismissed a request to prevent the White House from hosting a UFC fight on a lavish ring already erected on the South Lawn this weekend to celebrate President Donald Trump's 80th birthday and America's 250th anniversary.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta allows organizers to proceed with the UFC mixed martial arts event scheduled for Sunday, the 14th, on the White House lawn.

Judge Mehta, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2014 and also served as a judge on the federal Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) during the Biden administration in 2021, previously rejected attempts by Trump's side to dismiss a lawsuit filed against Trump on charges of conspiracy on January 6, 2022.

Judge Mehta concluded that the plaintiffs were unlikely to have the legal standing to challenge the event and failed to demonstrate they would suffer irreparable harm if the event proceeded as planned.

The judge also pointed to the plaintiffs' "undue delay" in filing the lawsuit for an event that had been in preparation for months. "Given the context of an emergency application and the long-known date of the UFC fight, it is reasonable to conclude that the plaintiffs have unduly delayed bringing suit, thereby undermining their claim of irreparable harm," Judge Mehta wrote.

Lawyers from the Public Integrity Project, a nonprofit organization, filed the lawsuit against President Trump's "UFC Freedom 250" event on behalf of activists and Vietnam War veterans. The two plaintiffs also asked the court to prohibit organizers from constructing event-related structures on White House grounds, including a 92-foot-tall, 600-ton steel structure called "The Claw."

The judge noted that the "aesthetic harm" claimed by the plaintiffs was temporary. "The Claw" is scheduled to be dismantled starting Monday morning, and the installation equipment for the Lincoln Memorial must also be removed before then. "Any assertions by the president about the permanence of 'The Claw' are of no moment in light of the explicit representations by White House officials," the judge wrote in the ruling.

The White House dismissed the lawsuit as a baseless attempt to prevent President Trump from hosting an event no different from many other regular public forums in the nation's capital.

The plaintiffs also argued that the UFC event is a private, for-profit business with VIP packages selling for millions of dollars, and that the Trump administration should not be allowed to permit sporting events on the White House South Lawn or at the Lincoln Memorial.

The plaintiffs' lawyers argued, "The administration is providing UFC with an extraordinary business opportunity that is legally impermissible, and in return, UFC is hosting an event where its executives, athletes, advertisers, and numerous celebrities are all celebrating the president's birthday."

In contrast, the Trump administration, UFC, and its supporters argue that the event is a historic opportunity to showcase America's national strength and communicate with the public.

Supporters explain that the "fighting spirit, discipline, and competitive spirit" of UFC align well with the American pioneer spirit and are effective in attracting the interest of the younger generation to national holidays.

The White House argues that the event is not fundamentally different from other large-scale cultural and artistic events previously held on the White House South Lawn or the National Mall. They particularly emphasize that to ensure public engagement, approximately 85,000 free tickets were distributed to the general public, enhancing its character as a public festival.

U.S. NNP=Hong Sung-koo, Chief Reporter / Special Dispatch to this newspaper NNP info@newsandpost.com