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Mom says she can’t serve on a jury because she’s breastfeeding

<i>WVTM via CNN Newsource</i><br/>Kandace Brown says a circuit court judge threatened to call DHR after she brought her 3-month-old baby with her to report for jury duty.
Arif, Merieme
WVTM via CNN Newsource
Kandace Brown says a circuit court judge threatened to call DHR after she brought her 3-month-old baby with her to report for jury duty.

By Lisa Crane

Click here for updates on this story

    MORRIS, Alabama (WVTM) — A Jefferson County mom says a circuit court judge threatened to call DHR after she brought her 3-month-old baby with her to report for jury duty.

She says because the baby’s exclusively breastfed, she’s unable to be away from her daughter for more than a few hours. She posted about the situation online, and it had gotten a lot of attention.

Kandace Brown of Morris said she went public because something needs to change and she just may be the one to make it happen. Baby Parker is Brown’s youngest child. She’s breastfed, like her four older siblings were, so mom and the baby can’t be apart for long. Brown said, “I cannot leave her. She’s exclusively breastfed; she cannot eat without me. She would literally go hungry in school, like, I’ve tried a bottle. She would not take one.”

Brown thought that would be an acceptable reason to be excused from jury duty, but it was not that easy. She had to wait for several hours on Monday with Parker in a jury room.

Judges Elisabeth French, Marshell Jackson Hatcher and Shanta’ Owens addressed the group. Brown said what Owens said shocked her. “She said, ‘I hear that there are children here. I can’t see them. But I hear that children are here. The mothers that have children here. You need to make accommodations for your children to be picked up. We would hate for DHR to be involved.’”

Brown was eventually excused, but just for the day. She left in fear of what could still happen. She said, “I was horrified. I’m like, if I get called back and I’m still breastfeeding and I bring her, could they really call DHR on me and try to take my baby screaming for me in my arms? Like there’s no way that this can really happen.”

Brown’s social media post garnered hundreds of comments, with many moms saying the same thing had happened to them. She says it made her realize that something needs to change. She added, “I will serve on jury duty when I’m not breastfeeding. I absolutely will go and serve. I’m not trying to get out of that. I just need accommodations while I’m still breastfeeding my baby.”

We contacted the presiding judge’s office about this story and left a message for Owens but have not heard back.

Brown reached out to state Rep. Susan DuBose. who said she’s going to do some research on this issue and possibly draft legislation that will make breastfeeding moms exempt from jury duty. More than a dozen other states including Mississippi already have that law.

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