I saw an article online a couple days ago entitled: “Killer Style-The 10 Best-Dressed Murderers of All Time“.   Check out the photos of the Boston Strangler – you have to admit that he looks pretty good.   Contrast this to pictures you might see of Charles Manson, for example.  The FBI’s Crime Classification Manual categorizes  serial killers into three categories: “organized”, “disorganized” and “mixed”.  An organized serial killer tends to plan his crimes, knows how to avoid leaving forensic evidence, follows the cases in the media, and functions on a higher level socially.  The terms speak to elements and patterns of their crime of course, but my guess is that the average “organized” serial killer also knows how to put on a good appearance in court.

I usually don’t pay too much attention to how my clients dress for court.  There was only time I really vetoed a client’s choice of attire.  A defendant came to court on a probation violation for testing positive for marijuana in a UA test.  His t-shirt had a picture of Bob Marley smoking a marijuana cigarette.  I made him go to the bathroom and turn his shirt inside-out.

The clothing that someone wears varies a little from court to court.

Women are traditionally allowed to wear hats in court

I heard that in the Federal Courthouse in Spokane, a defense attorney was asked why the top button of his shirt was unfastened.   But I have seen in rural courts some attorneys who have worn jeans.  The only attorney-attire rule that really irks me is that women lawyers get to wear hats in court.   I see male defendants routinely get chewed out by judges for forgetting to take their hats off.  I think it would be interesting for a man and woman with identical hats to walk in together to court and see what the judge would say to them.  That sounds like a good set up for a test case to bring to the Supreme Court.  The problem would be finding a guy in Eastern Washington willing to wear a matching beret or a sun bonnet with his wife.  I know of one male lawyer who would probably do it.  (Sorry inside joke).

By Steve Graham