Davis v. Cisneros — 5th Cir. (Aug 4, 2026)
The Fifth Circuit considers the reach of a Reconstruction-era civil-rights law after a convoy supporting Donald Trump surrounded a Biden-Harris campaign bus on a Texas highway in 2020. A jury cleared five defendants but found Eliazar Cisneros liable under Section 1985 subsection 3 and awarded forty thousand dollars. The appeal asks whether the statute's support or advocacy clause requires hostility toward a race or other protected class, and whether it can reach private interference with federal campaign activity without government involvement.
Davis v. Cisneros (No. 25-50693) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, argued August 4, 2026.
Sources
Argument audio — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit:https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/OralArgRecordings/25/25-50693_08-04-2026.mp3
Argument listing — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit:https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/oral-argument-recordings?docket=25-50693
Argument calendar — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit:https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/court-calendars/sitting?d=2026-08-04
Post-trial order — GovInfo:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-txwd-1_21-cv-00565/pdf/USCOURTS-txwd-1_21-cv-00565-12.pdf
Summary-judgment order — GovInfo:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-txwd-1_21-cv-00565/pdf/USCOURTS-txwd-1_21-cv-00565-8.pdf
Opinion search — Fifth Circuit:https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions?docket=25-50693
Francisco R. Canseco — State Bar of Texas:https://www.texasbar.com/attorneys/member.cfm?id=162512
Francisco R. Canseco — U.S. House History, Art & Archives:https://history.house.gov/People/Detail/11824
Erica Ross — Willkie Farr & Gallagher:https://www.willkie.com/professionals/r/ross-erica
- 0:00Introduction
- 0:52Francisco Canseco
- 11:12Erica Ross