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NPR reports:

[Convicted murderer Derek] Chauvin has been jailed since his guilty verdict. He will be in court for Friday's sentencing hearing, wearing a suit rather than a prisoner's uniform by a special order of the court.

I understand why defendants do not dress as prisoners during trial—the jury must have visual confirmation of the presumption of innocence. Yet, why at sentencing, with the convicted defendant already on remand, would the court possibly grant a special order for the defendant to change into a suit, which he will presumably have to change right back out of when he returns to prison? What legal reason or interest of justice leads to this?

curiousbrit
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    Your answer is likely in the court order as granted. Likely the defense asked and the judge granted... but it's public record. – hszmv Jun 25 '21 at 16:59
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    The article says that Chauvin is also facing federal charges. There may have been concerns about tainting the jury pool with prominent images of Chauvin in a prison jumpsuit. It would also likely be in the (political) interest of the city to let him wear a suit when he offered his "condolences" to the family. Finally, courts as a rule don't like playing referee over penny-ante disputes such as "can the defendant wear a suit?" so it's possible that the prosecution simply did not bother to oppose the request. – Kevin Jun 26 '21 at 02:26

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