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The young lawyer shamed by a Texas judge for wearing a sleeveless dress was stunned to discover the same jurist beaming beside another young lawyer in a similar dress — and now she’s questioning whether race had something to do with the scolding.
Bexar County Judge Yolanda Huff, who is black, admonished Mariah Medina, who is Mexican-American, for wearing the sheath dress during a Monday court appearance.
But Medina, 32, this week provided The Post photos the 61-year-old judge shared on Facebook in April showing Huff beaming alongside a bare-armed black attorney at a swearing-in ceremony.
“Evidently it wasn’t the dress,” quipped Medina.
“I don’t know whether my race, whether my age, whether my gender, I don’t know whether any of that played a factor,” Medina said. “If it was truly about the professionalism of my attire, I just would expect that it would be enforced across the board and it’s evident here that it wasn’t enforced across the board.”
The defense attorney, who worked previously as a TV news reporter in San Antonio, has been practicing law for just over a year.
In a viral viral encounter at Bexar County Court, Huff referred to her outfit as a “tank top.”
She asked her if she was “ready for a trial dressed like that” before laughing at her in front of other attorneys and defendants in open court.
The humiliating dressing down was still on Medina’s mind when she returned to the courthouse on Wednesday.
She wore a red dress with sleeves for her appearance before a different judge — but the married mother-of-one felt self-conscious walking into court.
“Still thinking about what happened,” Medina said. “I just know that seeing it on my feed, seeing people discuss me, my dress, seeing it on social media. It felt like I wonder if people know about this or are talking about this.”
The J. Crew sheath dress at the center of the controversy was purchased four years ago for just $20. Medina has the same dress in pink, blue and red.
“In any event, it felt kind of bizarre because you know how parents always say something to the effect of, ‘Nobody is looking at you’ . . . It’s just been something that I thought was gonna blow off by now, but it only seems to be getting more and more attention,” she said.
Medina, who spent 10 years as a journalist before switching careers, will be back in Huff’s chamber in November.
While female lawyers have been known to wear sleeveless dresses inside the courtroom, Medina is contemplating repeating her attire with an added twist.
“I would wear this dress again in her court, but with the blazer,” she said. “I would respect the wishes of the court. I have no intention of defying a judge’s authority.”
The Post reached out to Huff for comment.
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