On Tuesday , while announcing the British Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had illegally suspended Parliament, Lady Brenda Hale — the court’s first female president — wore a brooding fantastical diamanté spider brooch.

Its exact species was up for debate, though many social media observers thought the animal shape on the right shoulder of her black dress closely resembled the flesh-eating camel spider.

They also thought it was a silent message to Mr. Johnson, a man often seen as unaccustomed to facing consequences for his actions.

“We stan a brooch queen,” wrote Tom Rasmussen , author of “Diary of a Drag Queen,” on Twitter, using social media shorthand for obsessive love.