Civil jury clears all but 1 over "Trump Train" surrounding of Biden 2020 campaign bus in Texas

A federal jury cleared all but one of six Trump supporters accused in a civil trial over the surrounding of a Biden-Harris campaign bus on a Texas highway days before the 2020 election.

Why it matters: The defendants were accused in the lawsuit of violations including the Civil War-era 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act, which aims to provide protections against political threats or violence, over the "Trump Train" confrontation along I-35 between San Antonio and Austin.

• Following a two-week trial, Eliazar Cisneros, a chef and Navy veteran, was the only one of the accused to be found liable in the U.S. District Court case concerning a caravan of cars and trucks that slowed the Biden campaign bus to crawl.

The big picture: None of the defendants faced criminal charges over the Oct. 30, 2020, incident.

• They maintained that they were conducting a "peaceful protest" that was protected under the First Amendment and "never intended to intimidate or threaten" the campaign, per CNN.
• However, Cisneros was found liable for using threats and intimidation toward plaintiffs former state Sen. Wendy Davis, ex-Biden campaign staffer David Gins and bus driver Timothy Holloway. His lawyer indicated Monday that Cisneros will file an appeal.
• Protect Democracy, one of the groups that brought the case on behalf of the plaintiffs, described Cisneros in an emailed statement Monday as "lead organizer of the 'Trump Train."
• The jury found that Cisneros should pay $30,000 in punitive damages to the three plaintiffs and $10,000 in compensatory damages to Holloway.

What they're saying: Protect Democracy hailed Cisneros' conviction as "a major victory for American civil rights, reaffirming that all citizens are protected against politically motivated threats, intimidation, and force."

What we're watching: A lawyer for Joeylynn Mesaros, one of the defendants cleared in the case, said they would ask the court to ensure that the plaintiffs covered their legal fees, which the Texas Tribune reports they estimated at $200,000 to $300,000.

• Representatives for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to Axios' email on this.
• "If the judge rules against Cisneros, he can appeal the jury's decision to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals," per the Texas Tribune.