You may (or may not) be familiar with a Louisville KY judge named Amber Wolf, that just a week ago made headlines for her outrage at a female inmate who was not given pants or feminine hygiene products while awaiting sentencing in jail. In that case, she apologized to the defendant, fined her for her misdemeanor and let her go. In this week’s episode, much more was at stake.
Ashley and James Roeder were co-convicted of burglary and order to have no contact with one another. As a result, when James was entering the courtroom, Judge Wolf noticed his wife in the back holding up the couples 1 month old child. “I thought that he hadn’t seen that. And it occurred to me after we finished this case that he had not met his baby — who was 30 days old — and that he was not going to get an opportunity to meet his baby anytime in the near future”, Wolf said.
That’s when Judge Wolf decided to ask Ashley Roeder if she would like her husband to meet his baby for the first time. The mother said yes. So Judge Wolf called James Roeder back into the courtroom.
“I don’t want you to say anything about your case at all,” Judge Wolf told James Roeder, according to the video. “Don’t say anything. Your lawyer is not present right now. But I understand that there is a chance that you’re going to go back to Todd County, and your baby is a month old, and you haven’t met that baby yet. Is that right?”
“Yes maam,” James Roeder said. “Mrs. Roeder, do you want to come up here?” Judge Wolf asked. Mrs Roeder brought the couple’s son up to where her husband stood.
“I know you have a no-contact order between you and Mrs. Roeder that I issued — and I am not changing that,” said Judge Wolf. “I’m making a temporary exception right in front of me, on the record, so that you can meet this baby. This is your son.”
At that point, Ashley Roeder hands the baby to her husband, who holding the baby for several moments and appears to kiss the child. Both James and Ashley appeared to wipe their eyes as he eventually hands the baby back to his wife. Judge Wolf handed out tissues.
“It was touching,” she added. “I think it was — not as a judge, but just as person — it was probably one of the best things I’ve ever done. It made me feel good.”