Angry Judge Berates Jail Over Woman's Court Attire

An otherwise routine court appearance became anything but when an angry judge in Louisville, Kentucky, interrupted the proceedings to call the jail from the bench about a female inmate's lack of pants. “What the hell is going on?” says District Court Judge Amber Wolf. “I’m holding her here until she is dressed appropriately to go back to jail. This is outrageous.” When the woman first appeared in court, her attorney informed Wolf that jail officials “refused to give her pants and any kind of hygiene products that she needed," reports WDRB. The woman was wearing a long T-shirt and, it was revealed later, athletic shorts underneath it. After the judge's call, the Metro Corrections deputy director brought a jumpsuit to the woman, and said, "Dressed like she was, she should have been changed into a jumpsuit. I gotta look into why she wasn't." (See the video here.)

But after investigating, the jail says it did nothing wrong and suggested the judge overreacted, reports the Courier-Journal. “The judge drew a conclusion she didn’t have pants on and didn’t do anything to confirm that,” says a spokesman. "If we had taken somebody over with no pants on we should be held responsible. We didn't." He says it's routine for inmates to remain in the clothes they were arrested in for 72 hours, adding that feminine hygiene products are available to inmates. The woman had been arrested for failing to complete a diversion program over a shoplifting conviction, and the judge released her with a $100 fine. “The fact you’re in custody is your fault,” Wolf said, per the Guardian. “The rest of this is completely inhumane and unacceptable, and I’m incredibly sorry you had to go through this.” (More judge stories.)