The federal court in Los Angeles doesn’t mess around.
Jurors who show up in the wrong clothes “will be sent home and ordered to appear for jury service on a future date.”
So yeah, your jury duty outfit matters a bit more than you’d think.
The good news is nobody’s asking you for a suit.
I went through the court pages behind our court dress code tool.
There are 29 of them: federal courts’ juror pages, state courts, city and traffic courts, and a few prosecutors’ notes for witnesses.
Every rule below is one a court wrote down, in its own words.
Here’s the short version.
For jury duty, wear business casual and bring a sweater.
For your own case, dress like it’s a job interview.
And leave the shorts and flip-flops at home, wherever you’re headed.
Going as a witness, for your own case or to support a friend? Our free what to wear to court tool sorts the rules by who you are and the kind of court, with each court’s own words under every line.
Jury duty means business casual
Most juror pages use the same two words.
The federal court in San Diego: “Due to the dignity of Court proceedings, it is requested you wear business casual attire.”
Maryland’s courts spell out what that looks like.
“Clothing worn for an office job or for a job interview.”
Then: “Slacks or a skirt paired with a collared shirt or blouse, or a dress.”
Los Angeles aims a notch higher.
Its page says “Business attire is strongly suggested. Ties are not required.”
Northern Georgia’s federal court aims lower: “Jurors should be comfortably dressed.”
Business casual sits right between those two.
That’s why I’d call it the safe bet pretty much anywhere.
And you don’t need to shop for it.
Here’s what it looks like out of a normal closet:
- Trousers or chinos with a plain knit top or a blouse. Add a cardigan.
- A simple dress with the hem at your knee or lower, plus flats.
- Dark slacks with a collared shirt, and a sweater you can take off.
- A blazer over a plain top, if you already own one you like.
For more combinations, our business casual outfits for women are a good place to start.
Pick the plain ones.
Skip the statement pieces.
One more thing I noticed in Maryland’s list.
It puts “comfortable” right next to “neat” and “clean” in the same line.
You might be sitting or waiting most of the day.
I’d take the outfit you can sit in over the sharpest thing you own.
Bring a sweater, even in August
If I could tape one tip to your summons, it’d be this one.
I counted 6 juror pages in our tool that tell you to bring a layer.
Southern Florida’s federal court says its courtrooms are “generally very cool” and suggests a sweater or light jacket.
Western North Carolina’s is blunter: “Courtrooms can be cold.”
Maryland’s courts say the courthouse “may be chilly” too.
Honestly, a cardigan beats a blazer here.
It’s warmer and softer to sit in.
Over a blouse, it still reads as business casual.
I’d pick a fabric that doesn’t crease the second you sit down, since sitting is most of the job.
It also gets you around a rule on sleeveless tops.
More on that below.
If the case is yours, dress for a job interview
Sitting on a jury is one thing.
Walking in as the person in the case is another, and the courts set the bar higher.
That means a defendant, someone suing or being sued, or a parent at a custody hearing.
Maricopa County’s Superior Court in Arizona says to dress “like you are preparing for a job interview.”
DC’s courts put a court date next to a graduation or a wedding.
Watch your shoes, too.
Maricopa says “No shorts, open-toed shoes, hats, or revealing clothing.”
Webb County, Texas puts sandals on its never-wear list.
You still don’t have to buy anything.
Alaska’s family court help center says “You do not need to buy new clothes or wear a suit.”
Your clothes just need to be clean and without holes.
Minnesota says nearly the same.
Webb County adds a sweet line I liked: “If you have them available, a suit jacket or tie always look good.”
So if there’s a blazer in your closet, this is its day.
Our black blazer outfits for work show lots of ways to wear one.
Just pair it with trousers or a skirt, not jeans.
Witnesses land in between.
Think neat business casual, with nothing about the case on you.
Tehama County’s prosecutor in California tells witnesses not to wear buttons or carry signs about the case without clearing it “first with the prosecutor.”
The prosecutor’s office in Clark County, Nevada goes further and rules out “victim photos” on your clothes.
What 29 courts ban, counted
Here’s what I kept seeing, and how many of the 29 pages name each one.
| What courts ban | Pages that ban it | Share of the 29 |
|---|---|---|
| Shorts | 25 | 86% |
| Tank tops, halters or muscle shirts | 22 | 76% |
| Hats and caps (a religious head covering is fine) | 20 | 69% |
| T-shirts, sweatpants or gym clothes | 14 | 48% |
| Mini-skirts, low necklines, bare midriffs or see-through clothes | 14 | 48% |
| Flip-flops, slippers or beach wear | 12 | 41% |
| Words or pictures that offend, or gang clothing | 10 | 34% |
| Torn clothes or clothes with holes | 7 | 24% |
Shorts win by a mile, on 86 percent of the pages.
Tank tops come next at 76 percent.
Flip-flops only show up on 41 percent, which surprised me.
I’d still never risk them.
San Diego’s federal court lists “flip flops or beach attire” right beside hats and shorts.
Hats are on 69 percent of the pages.
They come off inside, but a religious head covering is fine.
Los Angeles and Houston both say so, and so does Maryland.
If a court’s page doesn’t name something, don’t read that as a yes.
Kent County, Delaware is plain about who decides: “If attire is borderline or questionable, final determination will be that of the Judges of the Kent County Courthouse.”
Where courts can’t agree: jeans, shorts and bare shoulders
Jeans are the big one.
Three federal juror pages rule them out.
Connecticut’s says blue jeans are “not appropriate to wear while you are sitting as a juror,” and Northern Iowa’s lists jeans with the things that “should not be worn.”
Then a district court in Tarrant County, Texas tells courtroom visitors that “nice jeans (no holes or fraying in fabric)” are generally fine.
That’s for visitors, though, not jurors or anyone in the case.
My take?
Skip jeans for jury duty and for your own hearing, even nice dark ones.
They’re the one item courts split on.
You don’t want your outfit to be the thing the judge has to rule on.
Shorts split them too, mostly on length.
Houston’s city courts ban “Shorts (all types).”
St. Louis allows them if they’re “finger-tip length or longer,” while Kent County, Delaware sets the limit at 4 inches above the knee when standing.
It uses the same 4 inches for mini skirts.
So check your hem standing up, not sitting down.
Sleeveless tops are the third split.
St. Louis says sleeveless tops are “permissible,” but the Virgin Islands Superior Court bans them for jurors.
Blue Ridge, Georgia’s list says “No Bare Shoulders” outright.
A cardigan over the top settles it, which is one more reason to bring one.
Still not sure where the line sits?
Our smart casual outfits walk through that dress code, and I’d keep your shoulders covered on top of it.
The small stuff that holds you up at the door
Expect a metal detector first.
Maryland: “Wherever you enter, you will go through a metal detector and your bags may be searched.”
Southern Florida’s federal court asks you to leave “excess metal and jewelry at home” so you get in faster.
Western North Carolina adds that you “may not want to wear steel toe shoes” either.
So the stack of bangles can sit this one out.
The belt with the big buckle can, too.
Maryland’s juror page has two rules I didn’t spot on the other court pages I read.
Uniforms are out (law enforcement, military, medical or work, unless worn for religious reasons).
So are “Employer badges or work name tags.”
Heading straight to a shift afterward?
Pack a change.
It also asks you to skip strong fragrances, since you may spend time in a jury deliberation room.
Fair enough.
Alaska’s page has a simple one: “Take your hat and sunglasses off when in the courtroom.”
Getting all this right the first time is worth it.
Maryland warns that the wrong clothes “may result in an extension of your service term” or another sanction.
In Kent County, Delaware, being turned away at the door “will not be an excuse” if you end up late or miss your hearing.
And Blue Ridge, Georgia pushes your hearing back “until the end of the court session” instead.
Last thing: read your summons or your court notice.
Maryland tells jurors to “always read your Juror Summons and check with your local Jury Office,” since practices differ from one courthouse to the next.
If your court lists its own dress rules, those are the ones I’d follow.
