A San Antonio lawyer has sparked a viral courtroom-attire debate after saying a judge criticized her sleeveless J.Crew dress as unsuitable for court.
Mariah Medina, a Texas-based criminal defense attorney and former investigative reporter, shared a picture and a video of the dress in question in a post on X Monday.
The gray shift dress was made from suit-style fabric, was sleeveless and ended just above the knee.
In a caption accompanying images of the outfit, the lawyer wrote: “This is what I was wearing today when a judge said that I was inappropriately dressed for court.”
“It’s a dress I’ve worn on air countless times and one I’ve worn in other courts without any issue,” she added.
The attorney, Medina, who is in her early 30s, said she was caught off guard and explained to the judge that the garment was a shift dress.
“She had me come around the bench so she could see my outfit… in front of defendants and other lawyers,” Medina recalled.
“She laughed and asked whether I really thought my dress was appropriate for a jury trial… then asked if I had a blazer in my car.”
Medina said the judge laughed during the exchange and told her that her courtroom outfit was inappropriate.
To support her argument, Medina posted an older video of herself wearing the same dress, saying it showed that the outfit was not inappropriate.
Medina also shared a photo and video of the sleeveless dress she wore in court on Monday with her followers on X.
Medina described the encounter as disappointing and said she had never experienced anything similar in court before.
According to Medina, a male colleague who was in the Bexar County courtroom agreed that Judge Yolanda Huff had handled the situation inappropriately and offered to serve as a witness. She made the comments in an exclusive statement to the DailyMail.
“I’ve received messages from sitting Bexar County judges who believe my dress was perfectly fine for court,” Medina said. “Defense lawyers have also contacted me to express their support and approval of what I was wearing.”
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The defense lawyer’s account quickly divided social media users, with some commenters agreeing that the outfit did not meet courtroom dress standards.
“Just throw on a sweater or blazer. Bare arms are not appropriate for business or legal proceedings,” one person wrote.
Another commenter said the dress appeared too fitted, arguing that courtroom business attire should be “ultra conservative” and that Medina should have worn a blazer.
“It’s not professional dress. How can you not know this?” a third user asked.
“Honestly, I side with the judge. A blazer would have been appropriate,” another commenter added.
Other users, however, defended Medina and criticized the way the issue was addressed in open court.
“That dress is modest and looks like standard professional attire. Embarrassing her in front of the courtroom is the real problem,” one X user wrote.
Someone else agreed: ‘If that dress is acceptable in one courtroom but not another, how is anyone meant to know where the line is? If a judge has a dress rule, put it in writing and apply it to everyone,’ another chimed in.
According to the State Bar of Texas, the dress code in court can vary from county to county.
The Bexar County Court room rules state: ‘All attorneys and court officials shall wear business attire while in Court. Business casual attire shall be permitted at the discretion of the Court,’ according to their website.
‘In any event, judges have broad authority to maintain courtroom decorum but when an expectation is unwritten, lawyers should receive professional notice, not public humiliation,’ Medina said.
Going forward, the lawyer will comply with the judge’s personal expectations and cover her shoulders, but she specified that her willingness to do so doesn’t excuse the original treatment.
‘It’s not lost on me that we are talking about bare arms… I thought Texas had the strongest right to bear arms in the country. Evidently, when it comes to arms, it stops at the elbow,’ Medina said lightheartedly.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Judge Yolanda Huff for comment.