A woman is chastised by a judge for bringing her breastfed infant to court in Wilson County

Amanda Mullen was in a Wilson County courtroom asking for a domestic violence protective order. She says she had no choice but to bring her ten-month old baby with her because she is exclusively breastfed. Mullen says she was shocked when the judge verbally chastised her in front of everyone for bringing the baby to court. She says she was humiliated and felt very vulnerable in front of her abuser. The rules in North Carolina about having children in the courtroom are not very clear. As a result, the decision of whether children are allowed generally falls to the individual judges. In this episode, Mullen shares her emotional experience with us and what she did as a result.

After recording this episode, we received the following message from NC District Court Judge, Wayne Boyette, “It would be improper for me to comment on this matter at this time. After reviewing the file, I noted that the case was continued. So, it is not over but rather pending litigation. It is also my understanding Ms. Mullen may have filed a complaint with Judicial Standards, and it would not be appropriate for me to comment on a possible Judicial Standards complaint publicly.”

The WRAL Daily Download is an in-depth conversation about a single news story. WRAL covers news across North Carolina every day, but this podcast focuses on one story at a time, bringing context to each conversation. The in-depth, localized podcast takes you into the latest stories from Raleigh, Durham, and the entire Triangle region on North Carolina. This is community news aimed at keeping you informed about the more subtle stories that are happening around you. Hosted by WRAL News journalists, episodes post weekdays by 4:30am.