By Peter Szymoniak
There are several fundamental problems in attempting to effect change within the CT judiciary, especially in the Family Division of CT Superior Court, better known as Family Court.
The first is Management 101. You cannot, and do not, use the same people who created a problem, and who enrich themselves from it, to solve it.
There is no way on God’s green earth that the Judiciary Branch, or any judge or officer working in it, will EVER admit there is a problem.
Their acts and actions over the past 20+ years reflect this.
Our CT Appellate Court/Supreme Court looks the other way or remains silent *when their own “case law” is flagrantly ignored and violated by “family” court judges.
The system works perfectly as intended. And it’s intended and designed to enrich a very small group of well-connected attorneys and judges, and the state, at the expense of the families, parents and children they willfully destroy.
The CT General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Judiciary is nothing more than a rubber stamp for dysfunction and corruption. The attorneys know this.
Legislators know this.
The second is that most of us are intelligent and rational people. We’re trying to apply logic, reason and common sense onto the CT family court system.
But this is a fool’s game.
Because money has corrupted the system from the top down.
Logic, common sense, reason and morality do not apply. We may as well be talking to a wall.
Consider all the testimonies of victims of the systems, and experts and advocates? Who has listened?
The third is that there are no metrics. This allows the Judiciary to control the message.
Some Questions?
How many cases did Family Court judges assign Guardians ad Litem [GALs] last year?
How much did judges order those GALs to be paid?
How many low income vs. high income cases did judges assign GALs?
How many GAL cases result in shared parenting vs. sole custody?
How many family cases had parallel juvenile cases?
How many complaints were filed against judges and attorneys?
How many resulted in any adverse action taken against any judge or attorney?
How many parents lost their homes or depleted their retirement accounts to pay the cost of lawyers and GALs in the family court system?
How many lost their jobs?
How many committed suicide – or their kids?
Anyone know?
The Judiciary Report
I know who knows. The Judiciary. All the above is public information. Why isn’t it being reported and published?
Why are FOIA requests completely ignored?
Because they want to control the message. It’s “crazy parents” causing all the problems.
Nothing any of us have done over the 20+ years has accomplished a damn thing.
Because we, reasonably perhaps, expect that change will come from within. Because we’re foolishly expecting that checks and balances are in place that simply do not exist.
Gee, if only the criminals had more training, they would stop committing crime.
The change we need will not come from within.
It will come when government officials, attorneys, ‘family’ court actors and judges are finally held accountable. This means removing immunity.
This means filing federal lawsuits citing violations of fundamental rights and federal law.
This means obtaining and creating meaningful metrics and outcomes data.
This means looking at, and educating legislators and the public, of what all the dysfunction and corruption cost us all.
When I tell people and legislators DCF costs this state $2+ billion a year to operate, no one bats an eye or cares.
When I mention this is over $600+/year for every man, woman and child in the state, and ask what their household is paying to fund this bloated, out of control disaster of a state agency – then suddenly I have their attention.
There is nothing ‘wrong’ with sharing ideas. What is needed is investing in what would actually create meaningful reform and change.
Along with bright shining lights.
