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Ky. judge allows inmate to meet newborn son in emotional moment

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A compassionate judge sat behind her bench on Friday after scheduling an unconventional, yet moving meeting inside a Kentucky courtroom.
 
Jefferson County District Judge Amber Wolf allowed an inmate charged with burglary to meet his 1-month-old child for the first time (watch below).

 
James Roeder, 24, wept as he kissed his newborn son inside the Louisville courtroom with permission granted by Wolf, a judge known for her compassion, according to the New York Daily News.
 
The inmate’s wife, Ashley Roeder, faces theft charges in the same incident as her husband.
 
“I know you have a no-contact order between you and Ms. Roeder that I issued and I’m not changing that,” Wolf said in a video of the encounter. “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.”
 
Ashley Roeder handed her husband the baby as they both began to cry. Noticing that James Roeder was wiping away tears with his jumpsuit, Wolf handed out tissues to everyone inside the courtroom.
 
After the meeting, Wolf reportedly thanked Ashley Roeder for “letting me be a part of that.”
 
The couple is due back in court Aug. 29. 
 
As for Wolf, this isn’t the first time her compassion has been widely noticed.
 
Just last month, the judge made headlines when she reacted out with outrage after a woman in her courtroom was denied pants in jail.
 

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