Douglas & Romano v. National Park Service – Federal Lawsuit Filed
Case: Susan Douglas and Paul Romano v. National Park Service, et al. | Court: United States District Court for the District of Columbia | Filed: June 6, 2026 | Type: Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief | Attorneys for Plaintiffs: Brendan Ballou and Samuel T. Ward-Packard, Public Integrity Project
Summary
Two Washington-area residents — a retired activist and a Vietnam War veteran — filed a federal lawsuit on June 6, 2026, asking a court to block "UFC Freedom 250," a cage-fighting event scheduled for June 14, 2026, on the White House South Lawn. The plaintiffs argue that the event is an unlawful private, for-profit commercial spectacle that the National Park Service has no legal authority to authorize on protected federal parkland. They also contend that a massive steel structure called "the Claw," already under construction on the South Lawn, was erected without the required act of Congress and without any environmental review.
Who Filed the Lawsuit
Susan Douglas is a retired government employee, longtime Washington-area resident, and grassroots organizer. She regularly visits the National Mall, Lincoln Memorial, and White House grounds — often as part of protests and civic events. She is nearly 70, walks on painful arthritic knees, and argues that the closures and construction caused by UFC Freedom 250 have physically harmed her and burdened her First Amendment activities.
Paul Romano is a retired U.S. Air Force Sergeant and Vietnam War veteran who later served as a Department of Defense police officer, including a tour driving personnel through Afghanistan. He drives for a rideshare company, passing the National Mall and Lincoln Memorial several times a week. Several men he knew personally are honored on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. He argues the event desecrates sacred national spaces and has caused him aesthetic and dignitary harm.
The lawsuit names as defendants the National Park Service, its Acting Director Jessica Bowron, and the Regional Director for the National Capital Region, Jen Nersesian, as well as the U.S. Department of the Interior and Secretary Doug Burgum — all in their official capacities.
Background of the Dispute
For the first time in American history, a live commercial sporting event has been authorized to take place on the White House grounds. President Trump arranged for the UFC — the world's largest mixed martial arts promotion — to stage "UFC Freedom 250" on the South Lawn on June 14, 2026. The fight card includes seven bouts, culminating in two championship fights whose competitors will begin their pre-fight walkouts from inside the Oval Office itself.
June 14 is also President Trump's 80th birthday. UFC CEO Dana White — a longtime personal friend of the President's who introduced Trump at the 2024 Republican National Convention — has insisted the event is a celebration of "the 250th birthday of America" and that the date is purely coincidental. He has acknowledged, however, that the event was "Trump's idea."
The complaint notes that the UFC almost never holds domestic events on Sunday nights, and that America's actual 250th birthday — July 4, 2026, a Saturday — will not feature a UFC event anywhere.
The White House South Lawn and Lincoln Memorial are not private property. They are units of the National Park System, held in trust for all Americans, and governed by strict federal regulations that generally prohibit private commercial sporting events on those grounds. To get around those rules, the Trump administration relied on a temporary National Park Service regulation — the "America250 Rule" — that exempts certain events from normal permitting requirements, but only when those events are planned, organized, and executed by federal agencies or the official Semiquincentennial Commission, and only for the genuine celebration of American independence.
The plaintiffs argue that UFC Freedom 250 meets neither condition.
What the Lawsuit Claims
The complaint lays out four main legal arguments, plus a request for a declaratory judgment.
First, the plaintiffs argue the event violates the National Park Service's own regulations for the National Capital Region. Those rules prohibit special events — defined to include all sporting events — on the White House South Lawn except for events held at the Ellipse. They flatly prohibit sporting events at the Lincoln Memorial under any circumstances. The America250 exemption the government used doesn't apply, the plaintiffs say, because the UFC is planning, organizing, and executing the event — not the federal government. A spokesperson for "Freedom 250," the public-private entity initially understood to be the organizing body, confirmed in June 4, 2026 reporting that the organization has no affiliation with UFC Freedom 250 and merely shares its branding.
Second, the complaint challenges "the Claw" — a 92-foot-tall, 600-ton steel structure the UFC has erected on the South Lawn. The White House Executive Residence itself is only 70 feet tall, meaning the Claw visibly dwarfs it and can be seen from the National Mall. Federal law requires an act of Congress before any structure can be erected on federal parkland in Washington, D.C. No such authorization exists. President Trump further complicated matters by suggesting on TikTok that the Claw may "never" be taken down, comparing it to the Eiffel Tower, which was itself originally intended to be a temporary structure.
Third, in the alternative, the plaintiffs argue that even if the event qualified as a federal action, the government was still required to complete an environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act before authorizing it. The UFC's own CEO has estimated it will cost $700,000 to repair the South Lawn alone. No environmental assessment or impact statement has been identified on any public docket.
Fourth, the complaint argues that even setting aside specific statutes, no law of any kind authorizes the government to permit a private sporting event on the White House South Lawn or at the Lincoln Memorial. The agencies acted beyond any power lawfully granted to them.
The Commercial Nature of the Event
A substantial portion of the complaint documents the event's for-profit character. Among the key facts alleged:
VIP "sponsorship packages" are being offered at between $1 million and $1.5 million per person. Despite the name, these packages are reported to include a seat at the event and White House access — but none of the conventional advertising benefits associated with normal sponsorships, making them, in the complaint's words, "dressed-up tickets."
The main card — featuring the two championship fights — will be available only through a paid subscription to Paramount Plus at $8.99 per month. The UFC recently sold its broadcast rights to Paramount for $7.7 billion over seven years; UFC Freedom 250 provides a major subscriber-acquisition opportunity.
Crypto.com, a Singaporean cryptocurrency exchange, is a lead sponsor and has produced promotional materials that prominently feature White House imagery alongside the Crypto.com logo.
The President of UFC's parent company, TKO, called the event "the greatest earned-marketing tool of all time" and "a once-in-a-generation moment."
President Trump himself purchased up to $50,000 worth of TKO stock earlier this spring, according to reporting published in late May.
The Lincoln Memorial Weigh-Ins
The complaint devotes particular attention to the UFC's plan to hold ceremonial weigh-ins and fighter face-offs at the Lincoln Memorial on the evening of June 13. The Lincoln Memorial's chambers are inscribed with Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and Second Inaugural Address. The eighteenth step bears a marker identifying where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech during the 1963 March on Washington.
The complaint describes UFC weigh-ins as "raucous, profane, and sometimes violent affairs" and cites several documented examples from past events where fighters exchanged insults, threw kicks, or brawled with each other and spectators. Sound amplification equipment is expected to be used at a volume audible at the nearby Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Plaintiff Romano, who personally knew men killed in Vietnam whose names are on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, considers that Memorial's quiet tranquility to be among its most important features — and views its potential disruption as a grave desecration.
What the Plaintiffs Are Asking the Court to Do
The plaintiffs are seeking emergency relief before June 13 and 14. Specifically, they ask the court to:
Declare the government's authorization of the event unlawful. Vacate the permits. Issue a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction, and permanent injunction blocking the event from taking place on the South Lawn or at the Lincoln Memorial. Order the removal of the Claw and associated structures. Award the plaintiffs their legal costs.
What Happens Next
Given that UFC Freedom 250 is scheduled for June 14, 2026 — just days after the complaint was filed — the case will move on an emergency basis. The plaintiffs will almost certainly seek an immediate temporary restraining order. The government will have an opportunity to respond and argue that the event is lawfully authorized. A federal judge will then decide whether to halt the event while the broader legal questions are resolved.
If the court declines to act before June 14, the case may continue to address whether the event's authorization was lawful and whether the Claw must be removed — particularly in light of President Trump's suggestion that it might remain permanently.
Why This Case Matters
This lawsuit raises fundamental questions about who controls America's most iconic public spaces and on what terms. The White House grounds, the Lincoln Memorial, and the National Mall are not the President's personal property. They belong to the American people and are governed by laws designed to protect them from exactly the kind of commercial exploitation this complaint describes.
At the center of the case is a narrow but consequential legal question: does a temporary agency regulation designed to facilitate genuine patriotic celebrations of America's 250th anniversary also permit a private, billion-dollar sports promotion company to use the White House and Lincoln Memorial as a commercial backdrop — complete with brand sponsorships, pay-per-view subscriptions, and million-dollar VIP packages?
The plaintiffs say the answer is clearly no. The government, so far, has said yes. A federal judge will have the final word.
Endnotes
The complaint cites reporting published by USA Today on June 2, 2026, and by MS Now on June 4, 2026, regarding the planning and organizational structure of UFC Freedom 250 and the role of the "Freedom 250" entity. It also references a TikTok video posted by President Trump on June 3, 2026, in which he compared the Claw to the Eiffel Tower and suggested it might be kept permanently. The complaint references statements by UFC CEO Dana White that the UFC is "eating the whole thing" financially and that he is "spending a shitload of money." The complaint references the "UFC on ESPN: Ngannou v. Velasquez" event of February 17, 2019, as the last UFC domestic Sunday-night event prior to UFC Freedom 250.
This article is a reader-friendly presentation of a public court filing — specifically, a complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on June 6, 2026. It is intended for general educational purposes only and is not legal advice. The allegations described are the plaintiffs' claims and have not been adjudicated by any court. Readers with legal questions about their own situations should consult a licensed attorney.
