Colombian Judge Vivian Polanía was suspended for three months without pay after appearing semi-nude at a virtual hearing.
According to TMZ, Judge Polanía received the penalty after a scantily clad display on Zoom. Video footage showed her reclining in bed, smoking a cigarette, and wearing a black tee shirt and undergarments as she presided over a criminal case. Her behavior also caused concern as she vanished from the virtual hearing for approximately one hour and seemed unable to articulate herself clearly when she spoke.
Video footage of Judge Polanía at the hearing went viral, resulting in a lawyer reporting her to the National Commission of Judicial Ethics. An investigation by the Judicial Disciplinary Commission in Norte de Santander ensued. The commission held that her disrespect for her office made her temporarily unfit for the bench as her behavior violated several rules, including the judicial dress code.
According to its 16-page ruling: “We find no justification for the judge to have presented herself in such deplorable conditions when she had the facilities of her own home and all the amenities necessary to prepare for a public hearing appropriately and with the respect such a hearing deserved.”
Judge Polanía asserts she was bedridden because she was experiencing high anxiety and low blood pressure. She also says that she was not half-naked at the hearing. In her view, she is being bullied by her peers because they are offended by her colorful social media presence.
Before her suspension, she was under investigation for publishing images of herself in a series of suggestive poses while dressed in skimpy lingerie on Instagram.
Polanía’s suspension for judicial misconduct might seem harsh. As with any other employee, she must adhere to the workplace dress code. However, one could argue that, in a free society, scrutiny of what she wears in her private life is misplaced.