The government is trying to attack the character of this person because all the government has on this person is a "smoke grenade" violation and a hope that he agrees to plea guilty to something/anything:

http://news.yahoo.com/feds-passenger...230740741.html

And what's this supposed throat infection of his that requires the government to put a face mask on him? And why isn't the court and/or transport vehicle climate-controlled enough that he isn't shivering in court?

Being a weirdo is one thing, willfully engaging in criminal acts is another thing. The government clearly wants to make him guilty of the latter by playing up the "weirdo" factor.