Judge Donna Scott Davenport oversees a juvenile justice system in Rutherford County, Tennessee, with a staggering history of jailing children. She said kids must face consequences, which rarely seem to apply to her or the other adults in charge. This disturbing investigative piece from ProPublica shows how racism in a Nashville, TN area juvenile court has damaged the lives of thousands of … [Read more...]
Proposed Law Would Make it Tough for Abusive Parents to Get Unsupervised Visits With Their Kids
SB 654 is aimed at a problem that is sadly common. It's one of several anti-violence bills from State Sen. Dave Min. He cites the 2018 deaths of two Sacramento girls, Sophia Rouin, 12, and Sara Rouin, 9, at the hands of their abusive father during a court-ordered unsupervised visitation as inspiration for his latest piece of legislation, which would require courts to consider a parent’s history of … [Read more...]
Senator Dave Min – California Children Deserve to be Safe from Violence and Abuse. Here’s How We are Making it Happen.
This important Op Ed from California Senator Dave Min highlights his important bill SB 654 on child safety in family court. SB 654 passed out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, and it will be taken up on the California Assembly floor next. "An estimated one in every 19 children in California is abused, and the risk is even higher for children in families who separate and divorce. Every … [Read more...]
Federal Lawsuit Claims NY Judge Anthony McGinty Favors Abusive Men in Custody Cases
An upstate New York domestic violence survivor, author, and family child advocate Francesca Amato said Ulster County Family Court Judge Anthony McGinty violated her rights by awarding custody of her teen son to her abusive ex — and she claims other female litigants are facing similar fates, an explosive federal lawsuit alleges. Judge McGinty placed her 13-year-old son with a father, who has a … [Read more...]
‘Women Are Routinely Discredited’: How Courts Fail Mothers and Children Who Have Survived Abuse
This report from The Fuller Project, in partnership with the Guardian, details the routine family court failure to believe and protect mothers and children who have survived abuse and how abusive partners using the courts to control and harass their current and former partners. “I’m losing everything,” says Marissa, who learned last September, in the middle of an already contentious custody … [Read more...]