DOVER — Exiting Rochester Family Court into the midst of roughly 100 protesters on Thursday, Johnathan Irish clearly had something to smile about. The court had just held a hearing on the future of Cheyenne, the infant daughter of Irish and Stephanie Taylor, who was taken into the custody of the New Hampshire Division of Children, Youth and Families shortly after her birth on Thursday, Oct. 7.
Neither would comment about the hearing's outcome, citing state confidentiality laws.
"I would love to comment, but we can't," Taylor said.
However, Irish used a smile to indicate the hearing's outcome.
"A picture's worth a thousand words. What's a smile worth?" he asked.
Prior to Thursday's hearing, Irish denied DCYF claims that Cheyenne could be in danger.
The Epsom couple's case has made national headlines in the last few days because of the Oath Keepers connection that was referenced in affidavit.
About 100 people gathered in front of the Strafford County Superior Court on Thursday to protest a reference that was made to the Oath Keepers organization in an affidavit related to the local child custody case.
The Oath Keepers, are a group that pledges to defend the Constitution and to oppose government tyranny.
They group was referenced in a DCYF affidavit as a political affiliation of Irish.
Those who attended Thursday's protest were outraged that an affiliation with the Oath Keepers would be mentioned in an affidavit related to a child custody case.
The affidavit for the case is sealed and Oath Keepers only provided the excerpt of the affidavit that referenced them. That excerpt allegedly states, "The Division (DCYF) became aware and confirmed that Mr. Irish associated with a militia known as the, "Oath Keepers," and had purchased several different types of weapons, including a rifle, handgun and Taser."
"This is not just a child custody case, it's about the First Amendment," said Oath Keepers founder and President Stewart Rhodes.
Rhodes and the Oath Keepers issued a demand letter to DCYF on Thursday asking for the removal of Oath Keepers from the affidavit.
"We wouldn't be here and this wouldn't be a national issue if our name wasn't in there," he said.
Maggie Bishop, the director of DCYF, has gone on record saying that allegations that the state seized the newborn girl over her father's political affiliations don't reflect the division's policies.
Bishop has declined to discuss the specifics of the case because of confidentiality requirements.
The newborn, Cheyenne, was taken by DCYF officials hours after her birth last Thursday at Concord Hospital.
It has been reported that the DCYF affidavit stated there was a lengthy history of domestic violence between Irish and the baby's mother.
Rhodes said he wasn't concerning himself with the child custody case; his concern is strictly about his group being associated with the case. He fears that people will be hesitant to join the group after hearing about this case.
Rhodes said he would file a lawsuit if the organization's name isn't removed from the affidavit.
"This is a very important case," he said. "We can't have a precedent set that allows them to list people's affiliations whenever CPS (child protective services) comes to your doorstep."