MASSACHUSETTS — In a development best described as “please tell me the lawyer didn’t know about this,” the wife of Lindsay Clancy’s defense attorney has apparently turned social media into an unofficial post-trial war room.

Because when your spouse is handling one of the most scrutinized criminal cases in America, the obvious move is apparently to grab your phone and start doing jury analysis, medical commentary, defense framing, and emotional persuasion for free.

The Canton Cat would like to congratulate everyone involved on discovering the legal profession’s newest specialty:

Spousal Adjacent Litigation TikTok.

Deb Reddington posted repeatedly about the mistrial, the 11-1 split, the mental-health evidence, the defendant’s medical treatment, postpartum illness, and why people should imagine the defendant as their own wife, daughter, cousin, sister, or friend.

Subtle.

Very subtle.

Nothing says “we are maintaining professional distance” like your attorney’s spouse basically wandering into the digital courthouse lobby with a bullhorn.

Critics online immediately asked the obvious question:

Where are the boundaries?

The internet then received the traditional answer:

“She’s not technically the lawyer.”

Wonderful.

Neither is the guy selling hot dogs outside the courthouse, but if he starts posting detailed arguments about the defense theory every six hours, people are going to notice.

The Canton Cat reviewed the unofficial legal communications flowchart:

Attorney: Present case in court.
Expert witness: Testify under oath.
Juror: Deliberate privately.
Judge: Maintain order.
Attorney’s spouse: Apparently become Law & Order: Facebook Unit.

One post said eleven jurors were persuaded.

Another attacked the quality of medical care.

Another urged people to imagine the defendant as someone they love.

At this point, the only thing missing was:

“Like, subscribe, and smash that reasonable-doubt button.”

To be clear, posting opinions about a public trial is not automatically an ethics violation.

But there is also a concept called optics, which apparently died somewhere between the courthouse steps and the blue verification check.

Because if the public is asking whether your spouse’s social-media feed is an extension of the defense team, you have already entered the neighborhood of This Looks Terrible Boulevard.

At press time, the Canton Cat was told there may be no formal rule against any of this.

Fair enough.

There is also no formal rule against wearing clown shoes to a sentencing hearing.

Most people still understand the assignment.