At least one district court in York County has had its fill of inappropriate dress and behavior from court visitors.
Two signs taped to the window at District Judge Ronald J. Haskell Jr.’s court in York say “Money from undergarments will not be accepted in this office,” and “PAJAMAS ARE NOT APPROPRIATE ATTIRE FOR DISTRICT COURT.”
It’s not known what incident or incidents resulted in the signs being posted, and Judge Haskell could not be reached for comment. But similar issues aren’t unheard of in York County courts.
District Judge Thomas J. Reilly remembered one case at the county level from when he was a prosecutor, in which the defendant was told about his clothing by the judge.
“A fella came in on a DUI charge, and he was wearing a Budweiser T-shirt,” Reilly said with a chuckle. “I remember the judge commented, ‘Sir, the next time you come back, you might want to reconsider what you’re wearing.'”
Reilly said he’s had some people come into his court in North Codorus Township who could have dressed more appropriately, but he’s not had anyone show up in pajamas.
If someone did come in for a hearing wearing pajamas, he would ask them to go home and change or return on another day wearing appropriate dress, he said.
“You need to be respectful of the court, first and foremost,” he said. “But you also need to be respectful of the people around you.”
As for the note at Haskell’s court advising visitors that money taken from undergarments will not be accepted, Reilly said, “That’s certainly a dandy of a policy there, not that I ever thought I’d see the day when you’d have to have a policy like that.”
Reilly said that’s also not an issue his court has experienced, but if it were a problem he would say something about it.”
District Judge Scott Laird said his court used to be located across the street from a swimming pool, and so his staff has dealt with people taking money from their bathing suit top or something similar to pay fines.
“The staff might not like to have to deal with things like that, but again, currency is currency,” Laird said. “The bottom line is if someone’s there to pay a fine, I don’t see how you can turn that away.”
Laird agreed that if someone comes into court dressed in pajamas or other inappropriate clothing, a judge can choose to postpone the hearing so the person can make sure they are wearing something appropriate.
He said he’s seen people come into court not realizing they need to stand before him, and sometimes they’re in gym clothing or something very casual, and they apologize to the court.
“Those things happen,” Laird said. “But if you’re actually scheduled for a hearing … it’s common sense you will have appropriate attire, something that would be considered business casual.”
Sheryl Trower, founder and president of The Etiquette School Of Central Pennsylvania in Lititz, said she’s seen a shift in appropriate dress in the workplace and in public spaces, especially over the past decade, but this is the first she’s heard of the issue in a court.
“I think people, they just make their own rules today,” Trower said. “It’s kind of a battle of what’s appropriate and what’s comfy.”
Trower, who grew up in the 1960s, said everything was formal back then.
Now, she spends a lot of time talking to colleges and businesses about dressing appropriately for the workplace. She sees a lot of people who “don’t have a clue as to what is appropriate attire” for the workplace.
When Trower talks to groups about appropriate dress, she says “your clothing doesn’t just protect you, it projects you.”
The message sent by those who wear pajamas to court is “I’m lazy,” Trower said. “It’s saying you don’t have any respect for yourself, and you really don’t have any respect for the person you’re in front of.”
Trower suggests “dressing the part,” and that has nothing to do with how much your clothing costs.
“It has to do with a neat and tidy appearance,” she said. You can go to a thrift store and find clothing to give you a neat look for very little money.
“In the first seven seconds (of meeting someone), you make your first impression,” she said. “You want to be the best you can.”
