U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman has declared a mistrial in a federal case involving nine alleged Antifa members accused of ambushing a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center on July 4, 2025. The ruling came Tuesday in the Northern District of Texas, before a jury was seated, following significant controversy over defense attorney MarQuetta Clayton’s courtroom attire.
Clayton, who represents defendant Maricela Rueda, wore a T-shirt beneath her blazer displaying imagery honoring civil rights leaders including Martin Luther King Jr., Shirley Chisholm, and Rev. Jesse Jackson—a figure who died that same day. Pittman rebuked the choice, stating: “I don’t know why in the world you would think that’s appropriate.”
During jury selection, tensions arose as prospective jurors expressed anti-ICE and anti-Trump views. Pittman dismissed a group of 75 jurors with similar perspectives, noting he would summon approximately 130 new jurors the following week. Federal prosecutors allege the defendants participated in an attack on the Prairieland ICE Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, on July 4, 2025—incidents including fireworks, property vandalism, and gunfire toward federal officers that left one responding police officer shot in the neck but unharmed.
Authorities have characterized this case as the first federal prosecution treating Antifa as a domestic terrorist group. Attorney General Pam Bondi recently directed federal law enforcement to examine individuals linked to Antifa for potential domestic terrorism and tax violations. Pittman compared Clayton’s shirt to overtly political attire, such as “a prosecutor wearing an ICE pin” or “a shirt with Donald Trump riding an eagle” alongside an ICE flag, emphasizing: “Politics—as prevalent as they are, as divided as they are—don’t have any business here.”
Clayton faces potential sanctions for her attire as the court prepares to restart the trial with a new jury panel.
