An Illinois court refused to throw out a contempt of court ruling against a woman who wore a profane T-shirt to court.

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Jennifer LaPenta, 20, who spent 24 hours in jail after showing up to court May 3 in a T-shirt bearing a crude term for the female sex organ, failed in her attempt Monday to have a Lake County judge throw out the conviction, the Waukegan (Ill.) News-Sun reported Tuesday.

"What your client had on her shirt brought the court into disrespect and jeopardized the court's ability to maintain order," Judge Helen Rozenberg told LaPenta's lawyer, Peter Kalagis.

Kalagis said the T-shirt "wasn't intended to impede or embarrass the court. She was merely in the gallery."