Of
all
the
reasons
to
complain
about
lawyers,
their
fashion
choices
are
on
the
lower
end
of
the
list.
It
is
still
on
the
list
though
—
the
popularity
of
the
“Look
at
my
lawyer,
dog,
I’m
going
to
jail”
meme
attests
to
that.
Diverting
from
an
off-the-rack
suit
and
some
Allen
Edmonds
shoes
isn’t
usually
a
cause
for
concern,
but
a
defense
attorney’s
t-shirt
so
moved
a
federal
judge
that
he
declared
the
case
a
mistrial.
The
Guardian
has
coverage:
A
federal
judge
in
Texas
declared
a
mistrial
on
Tuesday
after
a
defense
lawyer
wore
a
shirt
in
court
with
images
from
the
civil
rights
movement,
delaying
a
closely
watched
case
in
which
the
Trump
administration
is
accusing
a
group
of
protesters
of
being
terrorists
and
says
they
are
part
of
a
“North-Texas
antifa
cell”.
…
Pittman
claimed
the
shirt
sent
a
political
message
that
could
bias
jurors
and
equate
the
actions
of
the
defendants
in
the
case
with
that
of
the
civil
rights
movement,
adding
that
the
decision
to
wear
the
shirt
may
have
been
intentional.
Pittman
also
argued
that
the
defense
lawyers
would
be
outraged
if
prosecutors
were
to
wear
shirts
that
showed
pro-ICE
or
pro-Trump
imagery
in
front
of
a
jury.
Not
very
Black
History
Month
of
you,
judge.
To
be
fair,
the
judge’s
rationale
holds
water.
If
we
still
have
jury
trials
come
when
the
big
names
in
the
Epstein
files
face
justice,
Above
the
Law
would
be
among
the
first
to
cry
foul
if
the
defense
team
pulls
up
in
sweaters
that
say,
“How
Young
Is
15
Really?”or
“Where’s
the
trial
for
Hilary’s
emails?”
Even
if
the
shirt
didn’t
sway
the
jurors
—
one
interviewed
juror
didn’t
even
notice
the
shirt
and
another
saw
it,
but
didn’t
think
it
would
cloud
their
judgement,
an
ounce
of
prevention
and
all
that.
While
we
are
on
the
topic,
here
are
some
other
fashion
choices
that
may
have
justified
a
mistrial:
It
may
be
in
the
interests
of
justice
for
all
of
the
attorneys
to
agree
on
white
button
down
shirts.
No
ties
either
—
don’t
want
to
risk
red
or
blue
silk
swaying
the
fragile
minds
of
the
jury.
Earlier:
Judge
Declares
Mistrial
In
Texas
‘Antifa’
Protest
Case
Over
Attorney’s
T-Shirt
[The
Guardian]
Chris
Williams
became
a
social
media
manager
and
assistant
editor
for
Above
the
Law
in
June
2021.
Prior
to
joining
the
staff,
he
moonlighted
as
a
minor
Memelord™
in
the
Facebook
group Law
School
Memes
for
Edgy
T14s
.
He
endured
Missouri
long
enough
to
graduate
from
Washington
University
in
St.
Louis
School
of
Law.
He
is
a
former
boatbuilder
who
is
learning
to
swim, is
interested
in
critical
race
theory,
philosophy,
and
humor,
and
has
a
love
for
cycling
that
occasionally
annoys
his
peers.
You
can
reach
him
by
email
at [email protected]
and
by
tweet
at @WritesForRent.