On Tuesday, a federal judge declared a mistrial in the case involving nine individuals accused of being Antifa members and charged in connection with the shooting of a police officer at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Texas. The decision was prompted by the attire of a defense attorney.
U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman cited the T-shirt worn by attorney MarQuetta Clayton under her blazer as the reason for the mistrial. The shirt, which displayed images of civil rights leaders, was worn during the jury selection process. Clayton represents Maricela Rueda in the case.
“I’m not sure why you would consider that appropriate,” Judge Pittman remarked to Clayton, according to the Texas Standard.
The incident occurred at the Prairieland Detention Facility in Alvarado, Texas, where a police officer was shot in the neck, and multiple ICE officers were injured on July 4, 2025.
Pittman became aware of Clayton’s shirt, which featured civil rights icons Shirley Chisholm and Martin Luther King Jr., after she had been questioning the jury panel for 22 minutes, as reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
“I believe this might be unprecedented in American legal history,” Pittman stated. “I have no other option but to declare a mistrial.”
The other defense attorneys opposed a mistrial. The judge said he would schedule a show-cause hearing in which Clayton will have to explain why she should not be sanctioned, according to the newspaper.
Jury selection began Tuesday with 75 potential jurors. A pool of 130 jurors will be brought in next Tuesday to start the process again, Pittman said.
The Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas that was attacked in July by members of Antifa, federal prosecutors said. A mistrial was declared Tuesday in the trial of nine alleged Antifa members charged in connection with the attack and shooting of a police officer outside the facility. (Justice Department; KDFW)
Around 20 potential jurors said they opposed ICE efforts to combat illegal immigration.
“We’re a family of immigrants,” one potential juror reportedly said.
The nine defendants are accused of participating in an alleged ambush at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center on July 4, 2025.
The defendants ignited fireworks and damaged buildings and vehicles before firing on federal officers, federal prosecutors said. An Alvarado police officer responding to a 911 call was shot in the neck and survived.
Prosecutors said the attack was orchestrated by members of what they describe as a North Texas Antifa cell. The defendants have denied wrongdoing.
