Courts

Judge Declares Mistrial Over Civil Rights Fashion Choice

To be fair, a graphic tee and a blazer is a strange look.

By Chris Williams on February 18, 2026 4:47 pm

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.