The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that spectators at a murder trial were free to wear buttons bearing a picture of the victim in front of the jury that convicted the defendant.

The justices ruled in favor of California prosecutors who said the buttons were a harmless expression of grief by family members at the trial of Mathew Musladin.

It was the first time the justices ruled on whether the conduct of courtroom spectators deprived a defendant of a fair trial, which in this instance resulted in a conviction that was reversed by an appeals court[9th Circuit US Court of Appeals].