Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge Richard Dinkins is going viral after a video showed him swearing in a new lawyer last week while holding her baby.
In footage making the rounds online, Dinkins could be seen lightly bouncing the baby in his arms while he administered the oath to Juliana Lamar, the mother of the 1-year-old child who recently graduated from Belmont University College of Law, according to BuzzFeed News.
Lamar told the publication that moments before she was set to be sworn in, Dinkins said he wanted her son, Beckham, to “take part in the moment.”
“And I am so glad he did because to have my son take part in one of the greatest moments of my life was truly a blessing,” she said.
{mosads}Lamar, who reportedly used to work as a clerk in Dinkins’s court, said the judge was “a guiding light during my legal career.”
“When I was nine months pregnant, the day before I found out I needed to be induced, Judge Dinkins spoke on the importance of voting at an event I hosted as the president of my school’s Black Law Students’ Association,” she continued. “During this event Judge Dinkins reminded me of how proud he was of me and that he knew I would do great things, even with a baby in tow.”
Lamar told the publication that she gave birth to Beckham while attending law school. She spoke in the interview about the immense pressure she said she was under shortly after giving birth due to her university’s strict policies on absences.
“The pressure I felt was horrible, and I hope it has led my law school to rethink its policies for future mothers,” she told BuzzFeed News.
“I understand having a child during law school is often a choice. However, as young female professionals there is not a perfect time for us to have children,” she added.