Lighter Side: Compassionate judge goes viral twice

An American judge who earlier this month made headlines worldwide for being compassionate has again gone viral for exactly the same reason – her empathy towards people who come through her courtroom.
 
But while Judge Amber Wolf first became famous for her outrage at how a female defendant was allegedly treated by jail officials, the latest incident doesn’t involve an angry Judge Wolf.
 
In fact, she was left near tears but smiling after the incident.
 
On the 5th of August, James Roeder appeared in Judge Wolf’s courtroom at the Jefferson County District Court in Louisville, Kentucky. He and his wife Ashley are co-defendants in a burglary case, which prompted an earlier order from the judge that they make no contact with each other.
 
The Roeder couple also happens to be the new parents of a 1-month-old baby, and James hasn’t seen his son yet since he is remanded in custody.
 
“Mr. Roeder, I don’t want you to say anything to me about your case at all. Don’t say anything. Your lawyer is not present right now,” Wolf calmly tells the accused. “But I understand that there’s a chance that you’re going to go back to Todd Country (Detention Center) and that your baby is a month old and you haven’t met that baby yet. Is that right?”
 
“Yes ma’am,” replied the deep-voiced father.
 
“Mrs. Roeder, do you want to come up here?” the judge then asked the mother before telling her husband, “I know you have a no contact order between you and Mrs. Roeder that I issued and I’m not changing that. 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,” Wolf said, before the baby is handed to his father.
 
In the video, James can be seen kissing and gently rocking his son who is cooing in his arms, which makes him laugh.
 
People in the court – including judge Wolf and the defendant – were so touched that they were visibly emotional, prompting the judge to tell the defence lawyer to hand out tissues.
 
You can watch the whole exchange captured by court cameras below.