Ghislaine Maxwell and her lawyers fought repeatedly over the way she was being presented while awaiting trial, arguing that her appearance in jail-issued clothing reinforced an image of guilt before a jury had heard any evidence. During earlier proceedings Maxwell had appeared in loose blue prison scrubs, sometimes shackled, while her attorneys were simultaneously complaining that the Metropolitan Detention Center had subjected her to unusually restrictive conditions and, at points, special anti-suicide clothing because officials feared a repeat of Jeffrey Epstein’s death in federal custody. As the November 2021 trial approached, the defense pushed to ensure Maxwell could appear before prospective jurors in ordinary civilian clothing rather than anything identifying her as a prisoner. The issue was more than cosmetic: criminal defendants generally cannot be compelled to stand trial before a jury dressed in identifiable prison clothing because of the danger that it undermines the presumption of innocence. By jury selection, Maxwell had been allowed to shed the jail uniform and appeared in outfits including a black turtleneck with gray slacks and later a beige cashmere sweater, black trousers and heels.
The wardrobe change also became part of the defense’s broader effort to radically alter the image jurors saw of Maxwell. Instead of the disheveled defendant who had previously appeared in prison scrubs with graying hair and shackles, jurors saw a carefully groomed woman in understated civilian clothing who regularly embraced her attorneys, took notes and interacted closely with the defense table. Observers noted the deliberately conservative sweaters, dark trousers and muted appearance, which stood in sharp contrast to the glamorous photographs of Maxwell from her years socializing with Epstein and powerful figures. There was nothing improper about wanting Maxwell dressed as a civilian—protecting defendants from the prejudicial effect of prison garb is a basic feature of a fair trial—but the dispute illustrated how intensely her legal team fought over virtually every detail of her pretrial treatment and courtroom presentation. Once the jury proceedings began, the government was prosecuting a woman accused of helping Epstein groom and abuse minors, while the defense was determined that the person sitting a few feet from the jurors would look like an ordinary defendant presumed innocent rather than an inmate who had already been judged guilty.
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