A Texas judge handcuffed a mother after she appeared in court in shorts and was seen taking a photo with her cell phone.
In a video of the interaction between District Court Judge Stephanie Boyd, the woman was seen being reprimanded by the judge for her choice of clothing and for violating courtroom rules for using her phone.
The particularly cantankerous exchange has been viewed on TikTok more than 18 million times.
This led TikTok viewers to judge themselves as they criticized the judge for her “ridiculously harsh” treatment of the woman who had been in court to support her son.
District Court Judge Stephanie Boyd of Texas’ 187th District Court Is Taking Criticism
Judge Boyd became impatient with a woman wearing shorts in the courtroom and using her cell phone.
Viewers initially see the woman approach the bench in a blue blouse and white shorts as the judge summons her.
‘You! Go ahead!’, demanded the judge, quoting the woman. Why are you in this courtroom in shorts? Judge Boyd asks dryly.
“I’m sorry, it’s just… I’ve never actually been to court,” the woman responds.
But there is little sympathy from Judge Boyd, who asks the woman to immediately hand over her phone.
Boyd then summons a court officer to come and asks him to delete the photo he is accused of taking.
‘Who were you taking photos of?’ The judge demands to know.
“Oh, I was just letting my daughter know that my son is okay,” the woman meekly responds.
‘No, my question is who were you taking photos of?’ the judge asks again, increasingly angrier.
They asked the woman to explain why she was wearing shorts and using her phone.
The deputy in the room was called to delete the last photo from the woman’s cell phone.
“My son, Rick,” explains the woman, whose son appears to be the defendant in the court case over which the judge was presiding.
The judge’s decision appears to be made as he called the courtroom officer to handcuff her and asked him to delete the last photo the woman had taken on her phone.
‘Hand your phone to the helper. Leave your phone open and don’t close it. Very well, then deputy sir, if the wife, since she wants to be next to her son, put her in the box,’ the judge orders while the officers place plastic ties on her hands.
“I apologize, ma’am, I didn’t know,” the woman says again.
‘Oh, I appreciate your apology,’ the judge responds.
The officer then handcuffed the woman and led her out of the courtroom.
The video has gone viral on the Internet, with many questioning the judge’s own judgment.
“The judge is out of line,” Cathrin wrote in many comments to the same effect.
“Wow, what an attitude the judge has,” Sam stated.
“Wow, too much power and not enough compassion,” John added with his opinion on what he had just seen.
—That was cruel. “Too hard,” said Jamilia.
“The judge crossed the line,” said another viewer.
But others seemed to understand the situation the judge found himself in.
“A level of etiquette is expected in court,” one wrote. “Also, before the judge comes out, they announce that they will put away all the phones.”
“I understand the phone thing because the rules are everywhere and that tells you that, but I’ve never heard of shorts in the courtroom,” added a user named Brandy.