Ohio

Vegas lawyer's 'Black Lives' protest may follow Ohio example

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Erika Ballou, a deputy public defender in Clark County, Nev., speaks with colleagues outside of a courtroom Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016, in Las Vegas. Ballou sparked a protest in a Las Vegas courtroom where she refused on Tuesday to remove a "Black Lives Matter" button from her blouse despite a judge's request not to demonstrate what he called "political speech." (AP Photo/John Locher) (The Associated Press)

Sarah Hawkins, a deputy public defender in Clark County, Nev., wears a "Black Lives Matter" pin in support of fellow public defender Erika Ballou in a courtroom Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016, in Las Vegas. Ballou sparked a protest in a Las Vegas courtroom where she refused on Tuesday to remove a "Black Lives Matter" button from her blouse despite a judge's request not to demonstrate what he called "political speech." (AP Photo/John Locher) (The Associated Press)

Judge Douglas W. Herndon listens to Erika Ballou, a deputy public defender in Clark County, Nev., in a courtroom Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016, in Las Vegas. Ballou sparked a protest in a Las Vegas courtroom where she refused on Tuesday to remove a "Black Lives Matter" button from her blouse despite a Herndon's request not to demonstrate what he called "political speech." (AP Photo/John Locher) (The Associated Press)

A Las Vegas defense attorney isn't the only African-American lawyer in the nation to refuse a judge's request to remove a "Black Lives Matter" pin in a courtroom.

Attorney Andrea Burton told The Associated Press on Wednesday that she and her lawyer settled a federal civil rights lawsuit in Youngstown, Ohio, with an agreement that Burton can wear her pin in the courthouse — but not in the courtroom.

Attorney Erika Ballou is facing a similar situation in Nevada — and won't be able to keep the pin on her blouse in the courtroom if her case follows the same course as Burton's.

Ballou and attorneys who support her say they intend to wear the pins in court again on Thursday, possibly bringing another confrontation with a judge.

In the Ohio case, the judge's attorney, John Juhasz (YOU'-haz) Jr., says case law shows defense lawyers are in court to represent their clients' interests, not their own.