How Not to Dress for Court

I am constantly amazed at how some people dress when they go to court. Defendants charged with drug offenses show up in baggy teeshirts with pictures of Bob Marley smoking a joint. Some look like they got dressed to stand on a street corner selling cocaine, in football jerseys and baggy shorts and sporting gold chains and gang tattoos. One morning a young woman wore a tight pink teeshirt with sequins spelling “Spoiled Rich Girl.” An older woman wore a tube top that barely contained her surgically enhanced breasts.

When you’re charged with any crime, it’s not a good idea to go to court dressed like a street walker or pimp or drug dealer. The judge in your case has the power to send you to prison or give you probation, and impressions matter. You should dress like you are applying for a job that you really want - clean pressed shirt and slacks for men, shined shoes or boots, same for women or skirt or dress. Here, then, are a few rules for how to dress and act when you go to court.

No shorts
No tube or tank tops
No flipflops
No teeshirts
No hats in courtroom
Cover tattoos
No gum
No tobacco or snuff
No flashy jewelry
Cell phones off
No grills
No guns or knives