What Losing Contact With a Child Does to a Parent’s Mind
Research indicates that parents alienated from their children suffer significant mental health consequences, including depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Current family court systems lack effective procedures to assess post-custody mental health…
The Chatbot in the Courtroom: What AI Means for the Parent Representing Themselves
Family courts often see a high rate of self-representation, with many turning to AI tools like ChatGPT for legal advice. While AI offers accessible help, it also poses risks, such as providing incorrect information or compromising legal privilege.…
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 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…
The Burden Nobody Notices Shifting
A Bronx mother avoided a murder conviction after psychiatric experts agreed she was psychotic when she killed her two sons. The ruling exposes a deeper question about expert testimony, juries, and who bears the burden of proving criminal responsibility.
The Statement Nobody Lets Him Give
Massachusetts gives families of homicide victims a formal voice when a defendant is sentenced. But if Lindsay Clancy is found not criminally responsible, Patrick Clancy may enter a very different legal process — one without the same explicit…
The Mitigation Nobody Carries Home
Massachusetts is considering a bill to acknowledge postpartum psychiatric illness as a mitigating factor in criminal cases, allowing for potential resentencing of women convicted without regard for their mental health. However, in family court, mental…