In a victory for the painfully obvious, a Judge in the US has ordered a criminal defence lawyer to remove a selfie he took in the courtroom with his client and later uploaded to Facebook.

It was reported that Wisconsin criminal defence attorney Anthony Cotton snapped a celebratory selfie with his client after securing an acquittal for his charge of intentional homicide.

Circuit Judge Thomas McAdams hit the dislike button soon after learning of Cotton’s indiscretion.  He ordered that Mr Cotton remove the picture immediately, expressing concern that the victim’s family may have seen the selfie being taken or that the photo may have inadvertently included the faces of jurors, who have the right to remain anonymous.

In Australian Courts, taking a photograph in similar circumstances would likely result in a far more serious censure.  Lawyers and clients alike would be wise to keep their camera phones off until well clear of the Court steps.

For more information please contact ERA Legal.