In an increasingly casual world, local courtroom will still require business attire for all proceedings.

Presiding 22nd Judicial Circuit Judge Lex Short this week circulated a memo addressing a concern that some court personnel dressed too casually for court proceedings.

“There wasn’t a big problem,” Short said Thursday. “But we had a few, so we went ahead and addressed it.”

The memo sent to attorneys practicing in the 22nd Judicial Circuit, applies also to their associates and assistants appearing for “any and all proceedings” inside the courtroom.

The standards require women to wear “moderate, non-casual, business type attire.”

Men are required to wear “appropriate, non-casual” attire, including a tie and a suit coat or sport coat, except in extreme heat. Men also are required to wear full-length dress socks to extend above the bottom of the hem of their pants, the memo stated.

“While almost everyone already dresses in compliance with this rule, this memo has been made necessary because of the ever-increasing number of people electing to dress in a manner that is much too casual for a Courtroom proceeding,” the memo states. “It is my hope that this memo will prevent any unnecessary embarrassment to anyone and will ensure that future proceedings will not be unnecessarily delayed.”

In the memo, he also stated all liquids, including coffee, are banned from the courtroom. The only exception is a capped bottle of water if prior approval is received.