An Austin jury cleared all but one of six Donald Trump supporters who were accused of breaking federal law when they surrounded a Joe Biden campaign bus driving down a Texas highway days before the 2020 election. The seven-person jury, which deliberated for most of Monday, said just one of the defendants, Eliazar Cisneros, violated the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 when the so-called Trump Train—a monicker for caravans to show support for the former president—drove up to the bus as it traveled north on Interstate 35 between San Antonio and Austin on Oct. 30, 2020.
The group, which included dozens of vehicles on the highway that day, forced the bus to slow to a crawl. Cisneros was ordered to pay $30,000 in punitive damages to the plaintiffs and $10,000 in compensatory damages to the bus driver, Timothy Holloway. Cisneros’ lawyer asked the judge to throw out the decision after it was announced.
If the judge rules against Cisneros, he can appeal the jury’s decision to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Both plaintiffs and defendants claimed Monday’s verdict as a victory. “Praise God,” defendant Steve Ceh told reporters outside the courtroom.
Joeylynn Mesaros, another defendant, said she felt vindicated after what she saw as a lawsuit brought by group of Democrats trying to chill speech of those with whom they disagree. “Considering how the odds were intentionally stacked against us, and the trial was rigged, I was refreshed that the jury was still able to see through.