Two federal judges issued separate rulings Friday involving Trump administration initiatives, with one extending a block on a controversial settlement fund and another allowing a mixed martial arts event to proceed at the White House.

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Virginia extended an indefinite block on the Trump administration's $1.8 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund," despite assurances from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that the program had been scrapped. The fund was created to resolve President Trump's lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns and was intended to compensate people who claimed to be victims of government weaponization.

Brinkema expressed skepticism about the government's claims that the fund was defunct, noting that Trump has continued to express support for it in remarks to reporters. The judge gave parties one week to negotiate an agreement for Blanche to submit a sworn declaration under penalty of perjury that the administration won't revive the fund. Legal challenges to the fund argue that the government cannot legally divert taxpayer money into what they characterize as a slush fund for compensating Trump's allies.

Separately, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta rejected a lawsuit seeking to block a UFC event scheduled for Sunday on the White House South Lawn. The event, called "UFC Freedom 250," is timed to coincide with both Flag Day and Trump's 80th birthday. Mehta ruled that the plaintiffs lacked legal standing and had unreasonably delayed filing their challenge to an event that had been planned for months.

The UFC event will feature a 92-foot-tall, 600-ton steel structure called "The Claw" that has already been constructed on the South Lawn. Plaintiffs had argued that the administration cannot issue permits for sporting events on White House grounds and that the privately organized, for-profit venture with VIP packages costing millions of dollars was inappropriate. The White House defended the event as similar to other events routinely hosted at public forums in the nation's capital.

The Justice Department has not yet formed the five-member commission that would decide on payout criteria for the settlement fund, and no money has been distributed. The fund faced bipartisan opposition, particularly over concerns that it could potentially compensate January 6 Capitol rioters, whom Trump pardoned on his first day back in office.