A few weeks ago, we spoke about a new ruling where all Florida Judges are to be wearing a solid black robe.
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This week, we hear about a Miami Judge who appears to have refused a nursing mother short breaks to pump breast milk for her child.
Judge Fred Seaphin apparently refused an 11 year assistant public defender to take short breaks every 3-4 hours to express milk for her 5 month old child. In 2010 the Affordable Care Act amended the Fair Labor Standards Act, requiring employers to providing a private place, not a bathroom, to express milk, for up to a year after giving birth. The judge in question has apparently been in hot water in the past.
It remains to be seen what actions will be taken. As a matter of policy, we consider ourselves very family friendly, and find this action, at the very least, surprising, especially in light of federal standards.
It will be interesting to see what the Miami-Dade Public Defender will have to say about the incident. He is reviewing audio of the conversation, and has publicly stated he’s “not happy” with how his employee was treated, saying her “reasonable request was met with a level of insensitivity and inflexibility that is inexplicable”. We’ll be watching to see the outcome.