The Access Gap AI Was Supposed to Close — And What It’s Opening Instead
A recent appellate court case highlighted issues with AI-generated citations in custody matters, revealing a trend where self-represented litigants submit filings containing fabricated legal references. This problem threatens the grace doctrine, which…
No Transcript, No Appeal, No Accountability: How the Court Reporter Crisis Is Erasing Family Court Records
Millions of family court hearings are being conducted without reliable transcripts, leaving parents unable to challenge judicial errors on appeal. A New York case has exposed a crisis that extends far beyond one courtroom.
Marriage Equality Matters. So Does Family Court Equality.
Michael Phillips reflects on the Supreme Court's Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, which established marriage rights for all but highlights the shortcomings of family courts. These courts lack procedural safeguards, leading to disproportionate consequences…
Child Welfare Selective Service
The article critiques politicians' lack of urgency in addressing family court issues that result in children being separated from fit parents while they express concern over immigration-related separations. It highlights the systemic dysfunction in…
Fighting Through It
The article discusses the consequences of dismissing a father's illness within legal proceedings, as exemplified by the author's experience with pneumonia and a high-conflict separation. Despite medical documentation, his former partner accused him of…
Before the Record, There Was a Marriage. This Is How It Ended — And How Everything That Followed Began.
The Still Here series documents a father's struggle to maintain a relationship with his son after a tumultuous marriage that ended with a protective order. It reveals a pattern of emotional abuse and systemic failures in recognizing male victims of…
What the Flowers Don’t Know
This Mother's Day, many parents silently endure the heartache of parental alienation, where children become estranged due to manipulation. Family courts often overlook or exacerbate this process, leaving targeted parents marginalized and powerless. The…
No One Is Watching: How Montgomery County’s Family Court Operates Without External Oversight, and What Happens to the People Who Notice
An investigation reveals a significant accountability gap in Maryland's family court system, where civil rights complaints against judges lack external oversight and transparency. Complaints filed are often sealed and unreported, leading to systemic…
A Paper Doesn’t Stop a Bullet. A False Accusation Helps Pull the Trigger.
Three Maryland cases reveal the same systemic failure: protective orders that identify danger but cannot stop it. At the same time, false filings dilute the system’s ability to respond to real threats — leaving children to bear the cost.
7,077 Messages. One Court Order. Years of No.
Our Family Wizard is a co-parenting platform documenting over 7,000 messages exchanged in a high-conflict custody case. The records reveal a consistent pattern of noncompliance with court orders, with one parent systematically excluding the other from…