Stephanie Rhodus was left “mortified” after being told by a judge to “button up” while breastfeeding her eight month old son in a North Carolina court.
Stephanie was appearing in court as part of a custody hearing for her eldest child when she was told by Judge Peter Knight that her actions were “absolutely ridiculous.”
In official audio from the court room that was obtained by local media outlets, you can clearly hear the judge repeatedly telling Stephanie to “button up”.
In an interview with The Washington Post, the mother said “It caught me completely off guard. I couldn’t think straight to present my case properly. It was just… I was in shock.”
Under North Carolina law, a mother is allowed to breastfeed her child in public.
It states: “Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a woman may breast feed in any public or private location where she is otherwise authorised to be, irrespective of whether the nipple of the mother’s breast is uncovered during or incidental to the breast feeding.”
Judge Knight said in a statement to The Washington Post: “We as a court routinely accommodate women who are nursing, including while they are waiting for a case to called in the courtroom.”
“However, when a case is called and a party is participating in a formal hearing before the court, all litigants are expected to respect the same rules procedure, decorum and dress.” He continued.
The judge finished by adding: “That was the case here. If breastfeeding accommodations were needed, those certainly would have been made.”
