The ABA Journal and the Tennessean has reported that Tennessee Judge Royce Taylor has created a dress code for female attorneys.  I have to admit that when I first saw the headline of the article, I was negatively reminded of when I first started wearing pant suits to court in 1999. I was then told by several male judges that I was not appropriately dressed for court because I was not wearing a skirt and pantyhose.  But now that I have read the article, I have to say I think Judge Taylor has a point.

Rumors initially flew that the dress code was going to require pantyhose. Judge Taylor has advised that is not correct, but has said that revealing and other inappropriate clothing will be banned.  Attorneys quoted in the article have noted that men are required to wear jackets and dress professionally.  Attorneys also gave examples of women showing up in court in sleeveless dresses, sundresses, and in one flagrant situation, sweatpants.   I have witnessed female attorneys in New Jersey wearing extremely short skirts and sleeveless dresses, which I also think is inappropriate for court.

Do you think Judge Taylor is right or is this gender discrimination?