A viral video showing a judge’s gruff response to a woman’s apparel and conduct in her courtroom is drawing negative reactions.
The video, posted on TikTok on Sept. 8, shows a clip from a Zoom recording of a court hearing and an interaction between Texas District Court Judge Stephanie Boyd and a woman who appears to be the mother of a defendant.
Viewers can see the woman in a blue blouse and white shorts carrying a cellphone and a tote bag approach the bench.
“Why are you in this court in shorts?” Judge Boyd brusquely asks.
“I’m sorry, I just … I’ve never really been in court,” the woman states.
The judge asks her to hand her phone over to the deputy in court, then asks that deputy to delete a photo the woman had taken in the courtroom.
“OK, who were you taking photos of?” the judge asks.
“Oh, I was just letting my daughter know my son’s OK,” the woman states.
“No, who were you taking photos of?” the judge asks again.
“My son, Rick,” the woman admits.
“Alright, so Deputy Lord, if you put her in cuffs, since you want to be next to her son, put her in the box,” the judge orders.
“I apologize, ma’am, I didn’t know,” the woman says.
“I do appreciate your apology,” the judge responds.
Judge Boyd, first elected to her position in the Texas 187th District Court in 2019, is known online for her candor and frank conduct in criminal court proceedings she oversees.
The video of her interaction with the woman garnered 17 million views. It’s unclear what the hearing was for, but in this case, many commenters found fault with Boyd’s responses and thought she came down hard on the woman.
“That seemed ridiculously harsh,” one commenter wrote. “The judge is way out of line,” another person said.
“There’s an expected level of etiquette in court,” someone else added. “Also, they announce before the judge comes out to put all phones away.”
