Judge 'Humiliates' Breastfeeding Mom

A Michigan mother says she was humiliated by a judge who told her breastfeeding in his courtroom was inappropriate. Natalie Hegedus, who was fighting a boating ticket, says she brought her 5-month-old son, who was getting over a fever, to court with her and fed him discreetly in the back of the courtroom before her case was called. When she was called up, the judge asked her if she thought what she was doing was appropriate, WoodTV reports.

When Hegedus told the judge that what she was doing wasn't illegal, he responded, "It's my courtroom, I decide what's appropriate in here," the court transcript states. "The laws don't apply in a courtroom, the judge's law applies, do you understand that?" Hegedus says the exchange almost left her in tears and she was upset further when she learned that a female courtroom assistant had handed the judge a note saying “There's a woman breastfeeding in court, my God!” (More breastfeeding stories.)