A Gwinnett County, Georgia, attorney filed a complaint against a federal judge after she says he reprimanded her for bringing her baby to court, according to Atlanta's WSB-TV and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Attorney Stacy Ehrisman-Mickle said she filed a motion for a continuance and provided a doctor’s note, which recommended she stay on maternity leave for six weeks.
“Counsel for the respondents is a solo practitioner and does not have another attorney in the firm that may appear on her behalf,” Ehrisman-Mickle wrote in her motion. The opposing counsel did not oppose her motion.
Judge J. Dan Pellettier Sr. denied the motion, saying she showed “no good cause” and that the “hearing date (was) set prior to counsel accepting representation.”
Ehrisman-Mickle said she found out on a Friday that the continuance had been denied for the next Tuesday. She said she made efforts to find child care but couldn’t, and no daycare would accept her baby, who was under 6 weeks old.
Ehrisman-Mickle said she was left with no choice but to bring her baby to court with her.
She said that when she arrived, her child started to cry and the judge reprimanded her for bringing the child to court, calling it “inappropriate.”
“Not only do you slap me in the face and deny my request for maternity leave, you embarrassed me in front of a full courtroom,” Ehrisman-Mickle told WSB-TV after she said she was forced to bring the child to U.S Immigration Court in Atlanta.
Ehrisman-Mickle said Pelletier told her, “Your pediatrician must be appalled that you brought your child here and exposed her to all of these germs.”
She said that after a conversation, Pellettier ultimately gave her a continuance to Oct. 28, right after her maternity leave is over. However, she said she is upset with the way he handled the situation.
“I was shocked and embarrassed and humiliated, and even now I can’t believe it happened,” she said.
The complaint she filed is being investigated, but she said she is coming forward with a message to working mothers.
“I think the country needs to start to re-evaluate maternity leave and realize it is not just a vacation for moms to hang out and relax; it is a time for bonding, and it is really important for the child,” she said.
The judge would not comment on his decision.
