Texas Lawyer Claims Judge Called Her Out for Being ‘Inappropriately Dressed’ for the Courtroom

A lawyer in Texas is speaking out after she claims a judge called her out for the dress she wore to court.

Mariah Medina, who serves as a defense lawyer in San Antonio, Texas, took to X on Monday, September 21, to make the claims, sharing a photo of the gray, sleeveless dress, which she labeled a “shift dress.”

“This is what I was wearing today when a judge said that I was inappropriately dressed for court,” Medina, 32, wrote.

It’s a dress she says she’s worn “on air” countless times as a former journalist and that she’s “worn to other courts without issue.”

Medina added that she was “confused” over the incident.

Sharing more about the interaction in a subsequent post, Medina claimed that the judge inspected her outfit in front of the courtroom before asking her to cover up.

“She had me come around the bench so she could see my outfit… in front of defendants and other lawyers,” Medina alleged. “She laughed and asked if I really believed that my dress was appropriate for a jury trial… then asked me if I had a blazer in my car.”

The litigator said it was the first time anything of the sort had happened since obtaining her license as a defense attorney, calling the interaction “disappointing.”

Medina noted that while she has several backup outfits in her car, just in case, she reiterated that the dress was not a problem while broadcasting the news to “tens of thousands of people in San Antonio,” arguing she never got a single “mean viewer email” before her interaction with the judge.

She also slammed the judge for seemingly being unsupportive after previously championing diversity in the courtroom.

“She knows I am a young lawyer. She preaches about supporting minorities in the practice of law but her conduct didn’t match the words,” Medina added.

Responding to commenters who weighed in on the fashion faux pas, Medina maintained that her dress did not violate the posted dress code on the doors outside the judge’s courtroom.

“It was completely mean spirited and unprofessional to address it in the manner that she did,” she argued. “My case wasn’t even going to trial today, and she, as the judge, knew that.”

The judge in question was not named and has yet to respond publicly about the matter.