Judge admonishes Michigan woman for breast feeding in courtroom

[demmiblue]

Source: Detroit Free Press

<snip>

The incident, as reported on WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, happened on Nov. 8 when mother Natalie Hegedus from Van Buren County brought her son to court with her because he had an ear infection. When he got hungry, she sat in the back row of the court and nursed him.

That's when a court bailiff noticed. He alerted the judge with a note.

What happened next left her "humiliated," according to the WOOD story: "When Judge Robert T. Hentchel called her up, he asked her if she thought it was appropriate to breastfeed in court.

""I said, 'Considering the fact that my son is hungry, and he's sick, and the fact that it's not illegal, I don't find it inappropriate,'" she said. "And the judge said something to the effect of 'It's my court, it's my decision and I do find it inappropriate.'"


http://www.freep.com/article/20111115/NEWS06/111115053/Judge-admonishes-Michigan-woman-breast-feeding-courtroom?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

[villager]

1. Death penalties administered in court: OK! Breast-feeding babies? No no no!

n/t

[KamaAina]

2. Reported on WOOD-TV?

Seriesly? :evilgrin:

[hifiguy]

3. Proper courtroom protocol is much stricter than that of

society at large. I worked for two Minnesota district court judges and I don't think either would have allowed this in the courtroom. If people who are in the courtroom need to talk to each other, or do what this woman was doing, the proper thing to do is excuse oneself quietly from the courtroom and tend to your business in the adjoining hallway. If your presence is required when you are out of the courtroom a bailiff or court clerk will come out and tell you so.

There are plenty of things you can't do in a courtroom that you can do in the lobby of the courthouse: chewing gum, drinking soda, chatting with the person in the next seat, having your cellphone on. Nothing here to be outraged about, so calm the hell down, people.

[Warpy]

4. If she had to be there and her child was sick, it was one thing

Personally, I think a kid shrieking with pain from an ear infection would have been much more disruptive than a woman in the back row feeding him, but I'm not a male who's squeamish about seeing his favorite toy used for its intended purpose.

The line has to be drawn over whether or not she needed to be there as a participant or was a casual observer. If its the former, the judge and bailiff need to be disciplined. If it's the latter, she should have excused herself to a bench outside the courtroom.

I'm pointing out the bailiff as much as the judge in this case. The bailiff is the one who needed to put his eyes back into his head and mind his own damned business in the first place.