The Narrative Nobody Fact-Checks
A recent tabloid story about Brad Pitt explores how narratives surrounding custody disputes can be reshaped over time. It emphasizes discrepancies between Pitt's past admissions of drinking problems and the anonymous claims blaming his ex-wife Angelina…
When the System Moves Fast for Custody and Slow for Everything Else
Years after Russell Ashford pleaded guilty to brutally assaulting Antoinette Forbes, restrictions on him steadily loosened. Now Forbes is missing, Ashford faces seven firearms charges, and a family court has again been forced to confront custody of their…
A $21 Million Verdict Didn’t Give Cynthia Hayek Her Kids Back
A jury awarded Cynthia Hayek and Kenneth Hamp more than $21 million after finding that false abuse allegations helped cost Hayek her children. The judgment survived appeal. What remains unclear is whether the custody system ever gave her relationship…
The Pipeline Nobody Audits
A report reveals that left-leaning professors significantly outnumber conservatives in U.S. election law courses, affecting courtroom outcomes. In contrast, family court lacks similar analysis of training and credentialing for professionals, leaving its…
A Massachusetts Family Says the State Took Their Daughter Over a Gender Dispute. The Record Is More Complicated Than the Viral Version.
A Massachusetts couple says the state took custody of their teenage daughter after they refused to affirm a male gender identity. But a confirmed criminal charge, sealed Juvenile Court records and Massachusetts custody law leave major questions…
“Worth It”: When a Custody Order Isn’t Enough to Save a Child
Jake Stoner went to court, won emergency custody of his infant son and reported the violation when the boy disappeared. Weeks later, an employer’s background check found the mother before the child-recovery system did. By then, it was too late.
The Medical Necessity Dodge
A federal appeals court rejected a defense used by institutions to deny accommodations for disabled individuals, ruling that self-determined medical necessity cannot end ADA inquiries. The case of Bilal Adom, who was denied incontinence supplies,…
The Holdout Nobody Can Name
Eleven jurors reportedly favored finding Lindsay Clancy not criminally responsible. One did not. The result was a mistrial — and a revealing look at what happens when unanimity protects a defendant while also preventing an acquittal.
The Subsidy Nobody Qualifies For
A proposed federal rule would allow income-eligible married households to receive about $9,000 per child annually for at-home caregiving, excluding unmarried parents regardless of caregiving efforts. Critics argue this shift focuses benefits on married…
The Doubt Nobody Defined
The public debate over Lindsay Clancy has focused on guilt, sympathy and postpartum mental illness. But the jury’s deadlock appears to have turned on something narrower: whether one juror was properly applying the court’s reasonable-doubt…