If I have to attend a jury in Australia, is it illegal for me to dress up in the goofiest manner? Is it possible for me to be accused of misconduct on that ground?
Add a comment
|
1 Answer
Yes
When you are called for jury duty, you are given a list of expectations and duties. For example, Queensland requires everyone to dress neatly and New South Wales similarly so. The wording from NSW is:
What you should wear
You do not have to wear a suit and tie, but you should dress in neat, comfortable clothes. Do not wear thongs or shorts. As you may be sitting for long periods of time it is important to be comfortable, whilst still showing respect for the court.
Why? Because wearing clothes that can be seen as disrespect to the court - e.g. very flashy or goofy ones - can get you expelled from court, fined or even jailed for contempt of court [NSW]. Victoria has a specific Juries Act, which includes the following language to point to its own contempt of court section:
84 Contempt of court
Nothing in this Part affects the power of a court to deal with a contempt of court summarily of its own motion.
85 Enforcement of fines
If a court fines a person under Division 2 or for contempt of the court, the fine is enforceable under the Sentencing Act 1991 as if the person had been found guilty of an offence
