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Breastfeeding Mother Ordered Out Of Courtroom

A mother says she was kicked out of a Henderson County courtroom for breastfeeding. Stephanie Rhodus is now hoping to raise awareness about the issue.

Rhodus says that Judge Peter Knight kicked her out of the courtroom Monday. He objected to the fact that she didn't want to cover her baby with a blanket while feeding him.

In an audio recording of the court hearing, Knight says he has no problem with the child being there, but he told Rhodus to "step outside and button up."

North Carolina law allows women to breastfeed in public, regardless of whether her nipple is exposed.

Knight declined to comment on the hearing.

Rhodus came to family court as a defendant against her mother, who has custody of her 8-year-old son.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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