Prior Legislative Victories

2018 U.S. Congressional Agenda Success

2018 California Legislative Agenda- More Success!

CJE had a successful year in the California State Capitol on our child-safety legislation and our push for judicial accountability in the Budget Process. Here is the list of bills we supported that passed:

HR 113, or Piqui’s Resolution– Asm. Blanca Rubio states: 1) that all court-related professionals should be trauma-informed and trained in recognizing, evaluating, and understanding evidence and the impacts of domestic violence and child abuse; 2) that a court reporter should record all hearings in domestic violence and contested custody cases, and all litigants should have access to the court records; and 3) that when a child witnesses domestic violence or is injured or abused, family courts should ensure that the safety of the child has priority over all other considerations in any custody or visitation decision; 

AB 2044– Asm. Mark Stone clarifies that child safety must remain a top priority in family law determinations of a child’s “best interest.”

CJE Support Letter for AB 2044

AB 2354– Asm. Blanca Rubio mandates free court reporters in all family law and domestic violence cases, to ensure equal access to justice for all litigants, regardless of their income. This bill passed out of the Judiciary Committee and awaits action in the Appropriations Committee. 

Support Letter for AB 2354

California Senate Bill 594: Child Custody (Senator Bob Wieckowski, 2015, Signed Into Law!)
Senator Bob Wieckowski’s child custody bill, SB 594, was signed into law on July 16, 2015 by Governor Jerry Brown. SB 594 improves child safety and court efficiency by eliminating faulty and incomplete child custody evaluations and requiring uniform and complete investigations that meet mandatory minimum standards of practice. CJE and our ally CPPA led the advocacy efforts to pass this important piece of legislation. Read the press release.

2010 White House Briefing
We organized and facilitated the first White House briefing on the family court crisis in May of 2010. Executive Director Kathleen Russell participated on a panel of national experts who briefed the U.S. Department of Justice about the family court crisis in March of 2011.

AB 1050 – Granting CA Children the Right to Testify in Family Court
From 2008 – 2010, we worked with Assemblywoman Fiona Ma (D-SF) to pass historic, first-in-the-nation legislation (AB 1050) that grants California children the right to testify in family court (Family Code Section 3042). In most states, kids of divorce are still treated as property to be divided, with no voice in their future or in their ongoing personal safety. This law went into effect in January 2012.

Click here to read the bill text of AB 1050
Click here to read Family Code Section 3042

Family Court Audit- Marin & Sacramento Counties Not in Compliance
We also worked closely with State Senator Mark Leno (D-SF) and the California Protective Parents Association to secure an audit of the Marin and Sacramento County Family Courts. The California State Auditor issued an alarming report in January 2011 about the significant lack of training or accountability for court appointees in these counties.

Click here to view the full report from the California State Auditor (PDF)
Click here to read the audit summary
Click here to read the audit fact sheet
Click here to read The AOC’s Report on the Marin Court’s Document Purge During the Audit. This report is a classic example of how the family courts attempt to justify their bad behavior. This report claims that the massive document destruction or “shredding party” that the Marin Superior Court conducted before allowing the State Auditor to start its official audit of their files was somehow legitimate or allowable.  What many people don’t realize is that the mediators’ “working notes and files” that were destroyed by the Marin Court actually contained the most detailed information about the mediator’s research (when conducted at all) of any child abuse and domestic violence allegations in a given case. Court mediators routinely relied on these working notes and files to refresh their memories about their work on a case when they were cross-examined by attorneys about the “recommending reports” that they submit to the judge. These official mediator recommendations quite frequently determine the fate of children in divorces, since judges so frequently rubber stamp them. By destroying this evidence before the audit, the Court protected itself from revealing any incriminating details that would clearly show when mediators had ignored or failed to mention legitimate domestic violence and child abuse claims in their official “recommending reports” to the Court. Hardly an insignificant move by the Marin Superior Court, in our opinion, when the futures of so many children are determined by these powerful recommending reports.

Administrative Advocacy

October 2, 2012 – Joint Presentation on Family Court Crisis to Domestic Violence Practice & Procedure Task Force of the California Administrative Office of the Courts 

Click Here to view the Presentation Agenda
Click here to view the full Presentation

Congressional Briefings About Child Safety