Sensible judge leaves woman stunned over courtroom indecency, but video critics slam official for ‘ridiculously harsh’ response

A viral video showing a judge’s harsh response to a woman’s courtroom attire and behavior is drawing negative reactions.

The video, posted to TikTok on September 8, shows a clip of 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 defendant’s mother.

Viewers can see a woman in a blue shirt and white shorts, carrying a cellular phone and a bag, approach the bench.

“Why are you in this court wearing shorts?” Judge Boyd asks gruffly.

“I’m sorry, I just… I’ve never actually been to court,” the woman states.

The judge asks her to offer her phone to the deputy in court after which asks him to delete the photo the woman took within the courtroom.

“OK, who were you taking pictures of?” – asks the judge.

“Oh, I just wanted to let my daughter know that my son is okay,” the woman says.

“No, who were you taking pictures of?” the judge asks again.

“My son, Rick,” the woman admits.

“Okay, so Lord’s Deputy, if you handcuff her because you want to be next to her son, then put her in the box,” the judge orders.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, I didn’t know,” the woman says.

“I am grateful for the apology,” the judge replies.

First elected to the 187th District Court of Texas in 2019, Judge Boyd is thought online for her honesty and forthright conduct within the criminal proceedings she oversees.

The video her interaction with the woman garnered 17 million views. It is unclear what the aim of the hearing was, but on this case many commentators found Boyd’s responses inappropriate and believed she was reacting harshly to the woman.

“It seemed ridiculously harsh,” one commenter wrote. “The referee was definitely inappropriate,” one other person said.

“There is an expected level of etiquette in court,” another person added. “They also make the announcement before the judge comes out and puts away all the phones.”