Trials & Litigation

Lawyer on Maternity Leave Brings Baby to Court After Judge Refuses Trial Delay Request

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A Texas lawyer on maternity leave told of her frustrations on Facebook after a justice of the peace in Travis County refused her request for a trial delay.

The Austin American-Statesman covers the controversy. Amber Vazquez Bode had a cesarean section in late April. On Thursday, just ahead of a deadline, she requested a continuance in the misdemeanor trial of her client, a grease recycler accused of taking the material from a restaurant without permission, Bode says.

Justice of the Peace Glenn Bass refused the request, prompting Bode to bring her baby to court for the Monday trial. “My baby was completely freaking out,” she wrote on Facebook. “The whole thing was out of hand!”

Bass told the American-Statesman that Bode had received four delays in the case, and the trial date was set 25 days ago. In a statement to the newspaper, his office said she was “confrontational when addressing the court,” spurring a warning of possible contempt.

Charges were dropped against Bode’s client when some of the witnesses failed to appear, Bass said.

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