A Texas attorney claimed a no-nonsense judge called her out over her “inappropriate” dress in front of her peers and other defendants because the outfit exposed her shoulders.
Mariah Medina, 32, a former San Antonio-based reporter turned defense lawyer, shared the shocking update alongside a photo of the controversial dress that she wore during a two-minute trial announcement docket.
“This is what I was wearing today when a judge said that I was inappropriately dressed for court,” Medina wrote on X Monday, sharing a photo of herself outside the Bexar County Government building.
Medina — who has been practicing for around a year after a TV news career — was attending as a quick in-and-out court session when the judge ordered her to approach the bench for a closer look. “She inspected my outfit and chuckled and said, ‘Do you really think this is appropriate?’ And I said ‘yes’,” Medina told The Post Wednesday. Judge is Yolanda Huff, who has been on the bench since 2019, scolded her for wearing a “tank top” but Medina replied that it was actually a shift dress. She bought it on sale for around $30 from J.Crew — and she thinks it’s perfectly acceptable business attire and her colleagues often wear similar outfits — especially in the scorching San Antonio summer, she told The Post. “It’s a dress I’ve worn on air countless times and a dress that I have worn to other courts without issue,” she said in her X post, revealing she opted for the dress instead of a blouse that allegedly showed more cleavage. Medina ripped into the judge for her loose interpretation of her own rules.
“She has a list of things that she forbids in court re: attire, but this is not on that list. I grew up in a conservative church and I was truly confused. It’s appropriate length, doesn’t expose cleavage… it’s a J Crew dress for crying out loud, not a Hoochies Anonymous Club,” she added. The courtroom debacle divided the internet as many sided with Medina, but some ruled against her fashion choice.
Some female lawyers have even sent scathing messages since her post went viral — criticizing both the dress and her post about the judge.
This is what I was wearing today when a judge said that I was inappropriately dressed for court. It’s a dress I’ve worn on air countless times and a dress that I have worn to other courts without issue. I was confused, so I explained that it’s a shift dress… pic.twitter.com/PUIeyOKGFS
— Mariah Medina (@MMedinanews) September 21, 2026
“The number of women attorneys who are just so ugly on the internet, I was like, ‘this is so strange’,” Medina said.
Bexar County Criminal Court rules state that all attorneys and court officials should wear business attire, but business casual wear is acceptable if allowed by individual judges.
The young lawyer blasted the 61-year-old judge, but said she would cover up whenever she’s in her courtroom.
“I respect the authority of the court. And I will wear a blazer to cover up [if asked],” she said. Meanwhile, her local peers have rallied behind her. “Other male colleagues have been plotting something to stand in solidarity with me. One lawyer in my office purchased a suit that has shorts instead of full on dress pants,” she said. The internet remains divided.
“A shift dress is a shift dress If it’s been acceptable everywhere else, I’d be confused too,” one comment read.
“If a judge says it’s inappropriate to wear in their courtroom. It’s inappropriate. End of discussion,” another said.
“Good luck the rest of your ‘career,’ which is pretty much a nonstrater [sic] after this monumental gaffe. Smarten up lady,” one male lawyer in Massachusetts wrote in a private email. Medina fired back with a link to the lawyer’s own lengthy disciplinary record. “I don’t think you are qualified to be giving professional advice, but definitely don’t lose that confidence and audacity that made you feel like you were!” she told him.
Medina said she will wear a blazer next time she sees that judge and insisted she would never be intentionally disrespectful in the courtroom. But she also wants to make clear she isn’t someone to be pushed around.
“One of my mentors once told me, ‘You can be the attorney that fights. Or you can be the attorney that goes along to get along. There are benefits to both. There are cons to both. But you can’t be both’,” Medina recalled. In the meantime, she’s staying upbeat. “Texas has the strongest right to bear arms, but when it comes to ‘bare arms,’ that right ends between the shoulder and the elbow, I guess,” she said.
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