After spending over seven months in multiple jails across North Texas, the Prairieland Defendants finally had their federal trial start on Tuesday, February 17. But then, as soon as the first defense attorney started asking questions to the prospective jurors, presiding Judge Mark Pittman declared a mistrial. Why? Because attorney MarQuetta Clayton, the only Black woman among the defense lawyers and counsel for defendant Maricela Rueda, was wearing a t-shirt featuring civil rights leaders of the past. Judge Pitman also took issue with Ms. Clayton's voir dire questions, which reasonably probed on jurors' feelings about protest.

We believe that Ms. Clayton did nothing wrong. Despite both the prosecution and the defense opposing more delays, Judge Pittman nevertheless declared a mistrial and dismissed the entire jury pool. Suspiciously, right before the judge's decision, the prospective jurors had overwhelmingly expressed criticisms of ICE and that the Second Amendment extends to protests, casting questions on whether the mistrial decision was pretextual.

Ms. Clayton now faces a threat of being held in contempt at a hearing that Judge Pittman has announced will take place after the trial commences. NLG affirms that Ms. Clayton is clearly facing anti-Black retaliation for her zealous advocacy, while wearing a t-shirt with Black civil rights icons.

Alarmingly, this mistrial order is just the latest example of attacks on the Prairieland Defendants' constitutional rights to access to counsel, a fair and impartial jury, an adequate defense, a public trial, and more. Judge Pittman has made highly unusual moves that suppress defense teams and which federal lawyers have not seen during their entire careers:

• Judge Pittman refused to allow local counsel, George Lobb, to represent defendant Maricela Rueda, threatening to hold him in contempt for 90 days if he did not withdraw. This led Rueda to hire Ms. Clayton as her attorney.
• Judge Pittman attempted to place limits on defense objections, allowing only one defendant's lawyer to object during the prosecution's case. After a motion from attorney Leigh W. Davis, counsel for defendant Ines Soto, the judge is now limiting duplicative objections which, practically, will still limit defendant-specific arguments.
• In a pretrial hearing, Judge Pittman fined attorneys Patrick McLain, Brian Bouffard and Bradley Sauer, counsel for defendant Zachary Evetts, $500 each for filing a discovery motion, effectively discouraging other defense attorneys from filing motions in the case.
• Defense attorneys have been allotted only eight minutes each for their opening statements, and 35 hours total across nine defendants to put up witnesses. Judge Pittman has justified these time limit restrictions in a case where several defendants are facing life in prison by citing "other pressing matters on the court's docket."
• Since the mistrial, Judge Pittman has moved the trial to a smaller room in the Federal Courthouse in Fort Worth, and assigned an overflow room for the public to observe in Dallas, more than 30 minutes drive away.
• Most recently, Judge Pittman ordered that only the Court will be allowed to ask questions to the jury during voir dire.

NLG remains extremely concerned about these cases, which we have been following since inception. Defendants' fundamental rights are under attack in North Texas. If unchecked and ignored, this case and the judicial decisions coming from it will set a very dark precedent for the rest of the country.

Support the Prairieland Defendants: prairielanddefendants.com/get-involved/

Prior NLG Statements on the Prairieland Defendants:

• January 2026: Who Isn't a Domestic Terrorist?
• November 2025: Alarming Criminalization of Green Card Holder.
• October 2025: NLG Stands with Anti-ICE Dissent.
• August 2025: NLG Stands in Support of Prairieland Defendants.