FORT WORTH, TX — A federal judge in the Prairieland ICE Detention Center case fined three defense lawyers five hundred dollars each last week for a mistake in a routine motion to compel discovery. In a Show Cause hearing on January 14, U.S. District Court Judge Mark Pittman admonished lawyers representing Prairieland defendant Zachary Evetts, calling the motion “frivolous.”
In response to this and other actions taken by Judge Pittman in the Prairieland case, the DFW Support Committee—a group of family and loved ones of the defendants—published a statement today. “As the Prairieland defendants’ federal trial approaches, a pattern of concerning activity by the presiding judge, Mark Pittman, has emerged,” reads the statement. “The fate of the defendants—and the result of this trial—will have enormous impacts on the legal terrain for those resisting ICE terror and the course of the rising authoritarianism in the U.S. As such, the fairness of this trial should be an acute concern for all.”
“Judge Pittman is showing a clear disdain for the defendants,” said Irina Popova, who attended the Show Cause hearing. “Zachary’s lawyer was doing his job by asking the court to make sure he gets all the relevant evidence. The judge compared him to a five-year-old child, and bullied him into agreeing that his request was frivolous, which is deeply disturbing, and forebodes an unfair trial.” Continue reading “Supporters of Prairieland Defendants Release Statement Raising Serious Concerns About Actions of Judge in Upcoming Federal Trial (USA)”
