A Utah judge ruled on Monday that accused Charlie Kirk killer Tyler Robinson will be permitted to wear “civilian attire” but will remain restrained during pretrial hearings.
While Robinson is entitled to wear regular clothing and have restraints concealed during a trial, his attorneys argued he should not have to wear jail clothes and restraints in all pretrial hearings as well. Judge Tony Graf granted Robinson’s request to wear “civilian attire” during pretrial hearings in court, finding that because of the widespread media coverage of the case so far, the appearance of Robinson wearing jail clothes could sway possible jurors.
“Images of Mr. Robinson in jail clothing are likely to circulate widely and even influence prospective jurors, given the scale of that publicity, the risk of prejudice is significant,” Graf said. “As previously stated, Mr. Robinson sits before this court presumed innocent, and that presumption remains unless and until each element of every offense charged against him is proved beyond a reasonable doubt. To date, this has not occurred, and the presumption of innocence remains.”
“Balancing these factors, the court finds that Mr. Robinson’s right to the presumption of innocence outweighs the minimal inconvenience of permitting civilian attire. Mr. Robinson shall be dressed as one who is presumed innocent,” Graf added.
Citing the “extraordinarily serious” charges Robinson faces and the “emotional nature of these proceedings,” Graf denied Robinson’s lawyers’ request that their client not be required to wear restraints during pretrial proceedings.
“The court directs the sheriff’s department to conduct an individualized assessment and use the least restrictive restraints necessary to maintain safety. If those restraints impede the defendant’s ability to communicate with counsel or take notes, counsel may renew the motion,” Graf said in his denial of the request.
The attire Robinson would wear in pretrial hearings was the topic of a closed-door Friday hearing, although Graf sided largely with the defense on Monday. Robinson will be in court next on Jan. 16, 2026, for another pretrial hearing, with a subsequent hearing set for Jan. 30, 2026.
Robinson faces multiple charges for his alleged assassination of Kirk on the Utah Valley University campus last month. The maximum punishment for the charges levied against Robinson includes the death penalty.