The Role of Judges in the Crisis
Every day in courtrooms across **Alabama—and the United States—**parents walk in believing they will finally be heard.
They assume that the courtroom is where facts matter, where both sides will be listened to, and where justice will prevail.
But for far too many, that belief is shattered within minutes.
Because the truth is: many parents never even get the opportunity to speak.
They sit in silence—while accusations are made against them.
They’re muted by attorneys who rush proceedings.
They’re overlooked by judges who accept agency claims without question.
And they leave the courtroom not just unheard, but erased.
When DHR or CPS enters the room, the assumption of guilt replaces the presumption of innocence—and the judge, the one who holds the power to intervene, too often chooses silence over scrutiny.
This is not just a local failure.It’s a national pattern of judicial complicity.
Judges Are Not Supposed to Be Rubber Stamps
Judges are supposed to be the final safeguard.
They are responsible for protecting due process, parental rights, and truth-based adjudication. Yet in DHR/CPS-involved cases, we consistently see:
- Hearsay accepted as primary evidence
- Investigations that never happened—or were deeply flawed
- Parents silenced while agencies dominate the narrative
- Shelter care and removal orders signed without asking the hard questions
This is not neutrality.
This is judicial negligence that enables government overreach.
The Danger of Defaulting to DHR, CPS, and State Workers
Too many judges assume that the agency presenting the case must be acting in the “best interest of the child.”
But that phrase—used without investigation, without context, and without challenge—is one of the most dangerous lies in American courtrooms today.
- These agencies are not neutral. They have a vested interest in removals, timelines, and clearance of cases.
- These workers are not trained judges. Yet in too many courtrooms, their word is treated as law.
- These hearings are not balanced. The full truth often never makes it onto the record.
When judges defer to state agencies without scrutiny, they allow the erosion of civil rights and the destruction of family units on the basis of paperwork and persuasion.
This Is About More Than One Family
This is about a pattern.
A pattern where parents are criminalized for discipline, relatives are overlooked in favor of strangers, and children are placed in trauma-inducing environments under the false flag of protection.
This is about judges who could have asked more questions…
but didn’t.
Who could have demanded more proof…
but wouldn’t.
Who could have stopped it all with one stroke of the gavel…
but didn’t.
The Gavel Is Power—And Too Many Refuse to Use It
Judges are not elected or appointed to be bystanders.
They are empowered to:
- Demand accountability
- Dismiss baseless petitions
- Protect parental rights
- Halt removals when legal standards are not met
Yet many refuse to act.
Whether due to professional relationships, fear of political backlash, or misplaced trust in the system—their silence allows injustice to become normalized.
A child can lose their home in a five-minute hearing.
A parent can be silenced in a room built to ensure fairness.
And a family can be shattered because a judge wouldn’t say,
“This doesn’t add up.”
Legal Duties vs. Reality
In every state, judges are bound by constitutional protections—yet those protections are often bypassed when the accuser is the government itself.
Even where state statutes require:
- Reasonable efforts to prevent removal
- Clear and convincing evidence
- Consideration of kinship placement
- Strict timelines for reunification
…families are still removed, alienated, and destroyed based on suspicion, not proof.
This is not just a broken system—it’s a weaponized one, made possible by those entrusted to stop it.
This Is Bigger Than One Courtroom, One County, or One State
This is not just about Houston County, Alabama.
It’s not just about Jefferson County.
It’s not just about DHR.
This is about judges in courtrooms across this country who:
- Suspect something is wrong—but look away
- Know the case is weak—but push it forward
- Hear the truth—but ignore it
This is about a legal culture that allows child welfare agencies to operate unchecked—because the judiciary allows it.
A Message to Judges Across the Nation
You are not powerless.
You are not bound to follow a script.
You hold the gavel—and that gavel can stop injustice in its tracks.
But when you let state workers act without question, when you rubber-stamp removals, when you let bias, fear, or politics cloud your duty—
You become part of the harm.
You do not protect children when you destroy families.
And the children you think you’re helping today…
may grow up asking why no one fought for the truth.
Call to Action
- If you’re a parent who watched a courtroom fail your family—share your story. Not just for yourself, but for the countless others who never even got the chance to speak.
- If you’re an advocate—raise awareness. Let the public know that silence in the courtroom is not neutrality—it’s destruction.
- And if you’re a judge—look in the mirror. Re-read your oath. And do better.
Because justice is not justice if one side is never heard.
And silence—whether from the bench or the system—has never protected a single child.
We are done pretending these are isolated incidents.
This is a systemwide betrayal of justice.
And we will not be silent about it any longer.
Families vs. DHR
Fighting back in Houston County and standing in solidarity with families nationwide.