Man Thrown in Jail for Wearing Saggy Pants
Judges are charged with maintaining conduct and decorum in the courtroom. But did one Alabama judge go too far when he sentenced a 20-year-old man to jail for wearing saggy jeans?
Judge John Bush found LaMarcus Ramsey guilty of contempt of court and sentenced him to three days in jail for wearing low-slung pants that exposed his underwear during a hearing. Ramsey was expected to enter a plea regarding a stolen property charge when Bush took exception with his ill-fitting pants.
“You are in contempt of court because you showed your butt in court,” Bush told Ramsey. “You can spend three days in jail. When you get out you can buy pants that fit, or at least get a belt to hold up your pants so your underwear doesn’t show.”
According to Bush, he found Ramsey’s saggy pants “disrespectful.” “To me it’s not any different than if someone stood up in court and started cussing everybody out,” he explained.
What do you think? Did the judge act properly? Or did he overreact to Ramsey’s fashion crime?