Ohio Judge sentences lawyer to 5 days for wearing a Black Lives Matter pin

Jul 24, 2016

An attorney was sentenced to five days in jail after she refused to remove a Black Lives Matter pin in the courtroom.

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Andrea Burton was ordered by Judge Robert Milich to remove the pin she was wearing while representing a client at a pre-trial hearing and was handcuffed by bailiffs when she refused to comply.

Milich recessed the court and asked for Burton to join him in his chambers. When the two stepped back out, he called the case that Burton was working on and asked her to remove the pin. When she refused, she was ordered handcuffed and is awaiting transportation to Mahoning County jail.

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Youngstown Municipal Court Judge Robert Milich said Attorney Andrea Burton was in distain of court for refusing to remove the pin even though she was order to.

Burton was sentenced to five days in jail, but she has been released on a stay while an appeal is underway.

The judge released this statement, “A judge doesn’t support either side, A judge is objective and tries to make sure everyone has an opportunity to have a fair hearing, and it was a situation where it was just in violation of the law.”

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Youngstown branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) said its legal is watching this case closely because it may effect the attorneys civil rights.