« Law - Maintaining governmental emails in Boston and elsewhere | Main | Ind. Law - "The lawyer is in, thanks to the doctor" »
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Ind. Courts - "Johnson County Judges frown on casual attire in courtroom"
Jason White of the Johnson County Daily Journal reported ($$) Sept. 9th:
No shoes, no shirt, no court.And flip-flops do not count as shoes.
Have a tongue piercing? Take it out, or there's no court for you, either.
Rules are on display outside Johnson Superior Court 3, and although the display is new, the rules are based on a common idea that hasn't changed: When you go to court, dress appropriately.
Other courts, such as Johnson Superior Court 1, follow the same philosophy, though they might not have written rules posted outside the courtroom.
"A courtroom is a serious place where serious things happen," Superior Court 3 Judge Lance Hamner said. Most people understand this and dress appropriately, he said.
Occasionally, someone will walk into court dressed like they are ready for a day at the beach, he said.
And one time, someone in court had a tongue ring and could hardly be understood, he said.
Hamner posted the rules in the courthouse so people would know of the expectations before going into the courtroom, he said.
He knows of some courts in other counties that do not post rules but where judges will kick people out if they aren't dressed appropriately.
Johnson Superior Court 1 doesn't have a set of written guidelines written, but the general rule is that people who come to court need to be dressed appropriately, Judge Kevin Barton said.
"It's obviously a subjective standard," he said.
Attorneys typically advise their clients about what is appropriate, and people generally have enough common sense to know what's appropriate, just as they know the difference between dressing for church and dressing for a rock concert, Barton said.
He's never had a problem with inappropriate appearance, except for once. He told a woman whose top was too revealing that the shirt was not appropriate for a courtroom, he said.
"There's a certain understanding that people have of how they are to dress and how they are to act," he said.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on September 15, 2009 01:22 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts