Drug Defendant's 'Crack Jacket' Is a Common Courtroom Fashion Statement, Lawyer Says
It might seem obvious to some. But there are a number of defendants in criminal cases who apparently haven’t gotten the memo: Wearing clothing that depicts marijuana leaves or the manufacture of crack cocaine isn’t the best way to impress a judge.
“It’s so common that I routinely advise clients, ‘No drug-related clothes when you come to court,’ ” attorney Joshua Rydell told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel last week.
Nonetheless, one of his clients caught the attention of another lawyer by showing up for court in Fort Lauderdale on Friday in a so-called crack jacket that seemingly depicts the manufacture and distribution process in a cartoon-like sequence of images.
Asked to comment by the newspaper after the other attorney sent in a photo of the unidentified Broward Circuit Court defendant, who is facing a drug-trafficking case, Rydell said the attire reflected his client’s freedom of expression and wasn’t a recipe to cook crack.
The judge, who apparently didn’t object to the client’s attire, declined to comment.
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KHOU: “Community outraged over ‘crack’ shirt sold in neighborhood store”
