{"id":144424,"date":"2026-02-19T10:04:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T18:04:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/02\/19\/judge-declares-mistrial-over-civil-rights-fashion-choice\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T10:04:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T18:04:24","slug":"judge-declares-mistrial-over-civil-rights-fashion-choice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/02\/19\/judge-declares-mistrial-over-civil-rights-fashion-choice\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge Declares Mistrial Over Civil Rights Fashion Choice"},"content":{"rendered":"

Of all the reasons to complain about lawyers, their fashion choices are on the lower end of the list. It is<\/em> still on the list though \u2014 the popularity of the \u201cLook at my lawyer, dog, I\u2019m going to jail<\/a>\u201d meme attests to that. Diverting from an off-the-rack suit and some Allen Edmonds shoes isn\u2019t usually a cause for concern, but a defense attorney\u2019s t-shirt so moved a federal judge that he declared the case a mistrial. The Guardian<\/a> has coverage:<\/p>\n

\n

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 <\/a>case in which the Trump administration is accusing a group of protesters of being terrorists and says they are part of a \u201cNorth-Texas antifa cell\u201d.
\u2026
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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Not very Black History Month of you, judge. <\/p>\n

To be fair, the judge\u2019s 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, \u201cHow Young Is 15 Really<\/em>?\u201dor \u201cWhere\u2019s the trial for Hilary\u2019s emails?\u201d Even if the shirt didn\u2019t sway the jurors \u2014 one interviewed juror didn\u2019t even notice the shirt and another saw it, but didn\u2019t think it would cloud their judgement, an ounce of prevention and all that.<\/p>\n

While we are on the topic, here are some other fashion choices that may have justified a mistrial: <\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

Woody Guthrie scrawled on his guitar: \u201cThis machine kills fascists\u201d pic.twitter.com\/ILACspsoym<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Open Culture (@openculture) August 5, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\n
\n
\n

Michael Fanone wearing a ‘Fighting Nazis since 1996’ shirt while he’s about to literally fight a Nazi. <\/p>\n

I love it! \ud83d\ude02 pic.twitter.com\/5czU7kSPPf<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Covie (@covie_93) January 22, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\n
\n
\n

If anyone is interested in spreading the word, we have t-shirts! We’re selling these through Bonfire, as a fundraiser for @JusticeFwdVa<\/a>.https:\/\/t.co\/4bQ7p64Y2l<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Brad Haywood (@BradleyRHaywood) July 9, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

It may be in the interests of justice for all of the attorneys to agree on white button down shirts. No ties either \u2014 don\u2019t want to risk red or blue silk swaying the fragile minds of the jury. <\/p>\n

Earlier<\/strong>: Judge Declares Mistrial In Texas \u2018Antifa\u2019 Protest Case Over Attorney\u2019s T-Shirt<\/a> [The Guardian]<\/p>\n

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<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\u2122 in the Facebook group\u00a0Law School Memes for Edgy T14s . \u00a0He 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,\u00a0is 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\u00a0cwilliams@abovethelaw.com <\/a>and by tweet at\u00a0@WritesForRent<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The post Judge Declares Mistrial Over Civil Rights Fashion Choice<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Of all the reasons to complain about lawyers, their fashion choices are on the lower end of the list. It is<\/em> still on the list though \u2014 the popularity of the \u201cLook at my lawyer, dog, I\u2019m going to jail<\/a>\u201d meme attests to that. Diverting from an off-the-rack suit and some Allen Edmonds shoes isn\u2019t usually a cause for concern, but a defense attorney\u2019s t-shirt so moved a federal judge that he declared the case a mistrial. The Guardian<\/a> has coverage:<\/p>\n

\n

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 <\/a>case in which the Trump administration is accusing a group of protesters of being terrorists and says they are part of a \u201cNorth-Texas antifa cell\u201d.
\u2026
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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Not very Black History Month of you, judge. <\/p>\n

To be fair, the judge\u2019s 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, \u201cHow Young Is 15 Really<\/em>?\u201dor \u201cWhere\u2019s the trial for Hilary\u2019s emails?\u201d Even if the shirt didn\u2019t sway the jurors \u2014 one interviewed juror didn\u2019t even notice the shirt and another saw it, but didn\u2019t think it would cloud their judgement, an ounce of prevention and all that.<\/p>\n

While we are on the topic, here are some other fashion choices that may have justified a mistrial: <\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

Woody Guthrie scrawled on his guitar: \u201cThis machine kills fascists\u201d pic.twitter.com\/ILACspsoym<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Open Culture (@openculture) August 5, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\n
\n
\n

Michael Fanone wearing a ‘Fighting Nazis since 1996’ shirt while he’s about to literally fight a Nazi. <\/p>\n

I love it! \ud83d\ude02 pic.twitter.com\/5czU7kSPPf<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Covie (@covie_93) January 22, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\n
\n
\n

If anyone is interested in spreading the word, we have t-shirts! We’re selling these through Bonfire, as a fundraiser for @JusticeFwdVa<\/a>.https:\/\/t.co\/4bQ7p64Y2l<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Brad Haywood (@BradleyRHaywood) July 9, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

It may be in the interests of justice for all of the attorneys to agree on white button down shirts. No ties either \u2014 don\u2019t want to risk red or blue silk swaying the fragile minds of the jury. <\/p>\n

Earlier<\/strong>: Judge Declares Mistrial In Texas \u2018Antifa\u2019 Protest Case Over Attorney\u2019s T-Shirt<\/a> [The Guardian]<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\u2122 in the Facebook group\u00a0Law School Memes for Edgy T14s . \u00a0He 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,\u00a0is 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\u00a0cwilliams@abovethelaw.com <\/a>and by tweet at\u00a0@WritesForRent<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The post Judge Declares Mistrial Over Civil Rights Fashion Choice<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 \u2014 the popularity of the \u201cLook at my lawyer, dog, I\u2019m going to jail\u201d meme attests to that. Diverting from an off-the-rack suit and some Allen Edmonds shoes isn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":144375,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-144424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/xira.com\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Chris-Williams-2025-Wse9Re.jpg?fit=512%2C288&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=144424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144424\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/144375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=144424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=144424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=144424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}