Star Simpson, the MIT student whose light-up T-shirt caused a panic when she wore it to Logan Airport, appeared in court today. She asked for the charges to be dropped because the shirt was a form of free speech and that she had worn it days before without it causing a problem. Here's the update from the AP/WBZ:

Thomas Dwyer Jr., a lawyer for Simpson, said his client didn't think her shirt would scare anyone. He said she'd been wearing the shirt for several days on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus, and it had not alarmed anyone. "People make these objects part of their identity. It's a part of their personal expression," he said. "They are legitimate forms of First Amendment expression." Dwyer also argued that state law does not clearly define what a hoax device is.

The judge in the case will decide whether or not to drop the charges on March 21. This Bostonist hopes the charges get dropped. If she didn't realize Boston is sensitive about that sort of thing then, she certainly gets the message now. Since we've had the first anniversary of Aqua Teen Hunger Force vs. City of Boston, everyone knows Boston is sensitive about anything that might look like trouble.

And if someone really wants her to be punished, just let her design something cool for the city, like the mural done by the guys who hung the Aqua Teen lite-brites.

The Herald's infamous treatment of L'Affaire Simpson.