ARTICLE · 31 OCTOBER 2011

The Appellate Record Blog: Pants On The Ground

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP

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I was trolling the blogs not long ago and came across this little number on the ABA Blog about a judge who was scolding criminal defendants that showed up in court wearing baggy pants and showing their drawers.

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I was trolling the blogs not long ago and came across this little number on the ABA Blog about a judge who was scolding criminal defendants that showed up in court wearing baggy pants and showing their drawers.

Which of course reminded me of this episode from American pop culture, the famous "Pants on the Ground" song from some long ago season of American Idol:

What does this have to do with appellate practice, or indeed law practice at all? The full explanation is after the break, but it has to do with respect.

And if you don't pay attention to it, you too could find yourself in court, "looking like a fool with your pants on the ground."

The original post from the ABA Blog and a related article in the New York Post dealt with a sign posted by a Manhattan judge warning defendants to "Pull Up Pants." The judge was wont to send offenders of the dress code back to a holding cell to arrange their affairs, so to speak. Why?

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