On Monday, September 21, a young criminal defense lawyer in San Antonio walked into a Bexar County courtroom for what should have been a two-minute trial announcement. No jury. No witnesses. Just a quick “ready” or “not ready” and on to the next case.
She walked out a viral story.
Her name is Mariah Medina. She’s 32, a former investigative TV reporter who got her law license about a year ago and now runs her own criminal defense practice. She was wearing a gray, sleeveless J.Crew shift dress she says she picked up on sale for about thirty bucks. It’s the same dress she wore on the evening news for years. The same dress she’s worn in other courtrooms without anyone blinking.
Judge Yolanda Huff of Bexar County blinked.
What Happened
According to Medina, when her case was called, the judge asked whether she realized this was a trial docket and whether she thought her dress was appropriate to be in front of a jury. Then she had Medina walk around the bench so she could look at the whole outfit, in front of defendants, other lawyers, and everyone else in the gallery. Medina says the judge chuckled, called the dress a “tank top,” asked if she had a blazer in her car, and told her lawyers have a duty to cover up and be modest.
Medina posted a photo of the dress on X that afternoon. It has now been viewed more than seven million times.
Bexar County has since released courtroom video. The audio at the bench is too muffled to make out every word, but you can see Medina come around the bench and the judge appear to laugh while talking with her.
The Judge’s Side
To be fair, Judge Huff has responded publicly. She says Medina also showed up in tennis shoes with a backpack, that the courtroom was handling a trial docket, and that in her opinion Medina was disrespectful to the court by not wearing professional attire. She denies any undignified conduct.
Medina, for her part, says the dress didn’t violate the dress code posted outside the courtroom, that she specifically chose a dress over a sleeveless top because she knew tank tops weren’t allowed, and that she had three blazers, a backup suit, and another dress sitting in her car. If the judge had quietly asked her to put on a blazer, she says she would have. Bexar County’s local rules call for business attire. Nothing in them says a lawyer’s shoulders have to be covered.
Why This Bothers Me
I spent years as a State prosecutor before I moved to the defense side. I’ve stood in front of a lot of judges. Most of them are good, fair, hardworking people who understand something important: the robe is a job, not a crown.
We are all part of the same system. Judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers, clerks, deputies, court reporters. Every one of us is there to make sure the person sitting at that table gets a fair shake. Nobody in that room is above anybody else as a human being.
So when a judge pulls a lawyer around the bench to inspect her body in front of a courtroom full of people, laughs about it, and lectures her about modesty, that isn’t about decorum. That’s about POWER. And it’s not a good look for other judges.
If the dress was really a problem, there were a dozen better ways to handle it. Call counsel up and say it quietly. Mention it at a break. Send word through the clerk.
Here’s my opinion: judges who treat the bench like a throne, and who use it to embarrass the people who appear in front of them, should step aside and let someone else do the job. Respect in a courtroom has to run in both directions. The public is watching. Clients are watching. And a client who watches a judge humiliate their own lawyer for wearing a normal dress is not walking away with a lot of faith in the fairness of what comes next.
Medina said she’ll wear a blazer in that courtroom from now on. That’s smart. It’s the right move for her clients (remember, clients come first). But she was also right to speak up.
So What Should You Wear to Court?
Here’s the practical takeaway, because I get this question from clients all the time. (I wrote a full guide for first-time court appearances a while back, and you can read it here: “Your First Court Appearance: A Guide for First-Time Arrestees.
The Medina story doesn’t change my advice. If anything, it proves it. Every judge runs their own courtroom, and you don’t get to pick which judge you draw.
Dress one notch more formal than you think you need to:
- Think job interview. Collared shirt or blouse, dress pants or khakis, a conservative skirt or dress.
- Bring a layer. A blazer, cardigan, or jacket fixes almost any wardrobe objection in five seconds. Keep one in the car.
- Closed-toe shoes. Skip sneakers, flip-flops, and sandals.
- Nothing with slogans or graphics. No hats, no sunglasses, no athletic wear.
- Leave the backpack at home if you can. Less to screen, less to carry, less for anyone to notice.
- Read the sign on the door. Many judges post their own rules. Follow them even if they seem old-fashioned.
Is any of that fair? Not always. What you wear has nothing to do with whether you’re guilty or innocent. But your goal in that room is to keep the focus on your case, not on your clothes. Give the judge nothing to talk about except the facts.
The Bottom Line
Lawyers should dress professionally. Clients should dress respectfully. And judges should remember that they serve the public, not the other way around.
If you have a court date coming up in Forsyth County or anywhere in Metro Atlanta and you’re not sure what to expect, from what to wear to what’s going to happen when your name is called, give my office a call. You shouldn’t have to walk into that room guessing.
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