A real money maker for some, many judges are using their own hatred and biased opinions to interpret family law with the help of large scale contributions and political ties within their practicing district. We now have the ability to expose these judges
Eureka, IL Children For Sale - What's In Your County?
Published on February 5, 2006 By Elleise In US Domestic
I am a Domestic Violence Survivor of 8 yrs. My duaghter is 7 and it had taken over 3 yrs. to break out of the violence, with a controlled income to establish a new residence. As of 11/2005 all rights have been stripped as a mother and my daughter has been given back to her abuser with the help of a small town school and politics. He is now requesting I pay him child support and all health expenses, ins. etc. in a now openly practicing bigotted courhouse in Woodford County, IL. 11th district.

My ex-husband and I live in the same small town. Through a bigoted county courthouse in Woodford County, IL (Eureka) and political ties in a local church slowly he arranged his position in this community as an upstanding citizen. My ex-husband sued me for full child custody to get out of paying child support with his income level of $80,000.00 +. He stated he had friends in the court system through his church and something as simple as the sport leagues he plays within the church. He threatened a surprise was waiting for me and my daughter.

The States Atty. Office assistant in the court House 3rd floor, further reflected the overall biased by being openly disrespectful holding a pamphlet book on womans rights & domestic violence just out of my reach and with a smile on his face told me in front of my present husband, "Your ex-husband can come up to you any time and place get in your face, call you a dirty "B" and there's not a thing you can do about it". This was the same assistant who over the phone that very morning back in October of 2003 pretended to be Mike Strohe and threatened to put my daughter in Jouvenille court. I reported it, but nothing was done about it. In fact the judge there laughed and said, "You can make all the complaints you want..." and continued to chuckle.

Even with all the concrete evidence against my exhusband showing child abuse on his part and breaking orders of protection on video cam and pictures, the Judge awarded him full custody. The Judge laughingly stated he knew little of child-law and openly mocked my being in that courtroom as well as my spiritual beliefs and calling my ex-husband’s abusive behavior my responsibility in showing poor support and attitude. This same judge in 2003 threatened to take my child from me personally in advance if I did not quit complaining.

I have been in the court system for over 4 years. My ex-husband still harasses and keeps my daughter from seeing me. I have seen her only on 2 occasions ( when he needed a babysitter) since the last court of Sept of 2005.

In early January, I contacted the Court house in Eureka, IL because I had not received any paper work from anyone at all that shows a trial was held or transfer of child custody to my ex, what rights I might have, etc. The Clerk transfered me to the Judges chambers where I spoke with the secretary, she placed me on hold and told me that my case was under review on the Judges desk and my paperwork was inaccessable to me at this time. She told me they would get back with me. I have yet to hear from anyone in writing or phone call and now my ex-husband is sueing me yet again. I've lost employment opportunities due to the constant court notices of having to appear in person at court.

In requesting a copy of court transcripts I was informed that the transcripts cost over $3,400.00 to retrieve for the 2 afternoons of hearings.

When my daughter was visiting me she was miserable and depressed to return to a father who my daughter tells me all the time she is not loved by him in any way.
Slowly we are finding this attitude has been around for some time. This is not a first by any means for this judge and other women he has encountered.

After court costs and loss of job we may now possibly even lose our home. I guess that is only more evidence for the pot. Up until this judge we both (my current husband and I) had excellent credit. If there had to be another example made by this judge of his bigotry, in a way to me it is beneficial to other women it was me. For him and anyone involved in helping him it will prove to be decision that will end in righting a judicial wrong!

We The People hold these judges in contempt of our courts! Our children are simply NOT for sale!!

Comments
on Feb 05, 2006
time to get some free legal aid, and fight back there are orginazations for females that will help, I am male and connmot steer you to any, but there are some very powerful females here that will steer you . ask them for help first.

MM
on Feb 06, 2006
I don’t consider myself female, but I would suggest that you go straight to the States Attorney Generals office with this one.
on Feb 06, 2006
Male or female the "God" role some of these judges and attornies are footing leaves a surreal notion regarding what had initially started as a privelege in representing a courtroom. Since reputation is everything, down to a little boy or girl, apparently that goes to speak for itself in how justice will need to be brought about in exposing these people to their communities.

I appreciate the comments. I write for Bellaonline regarding spiritual beliefs and clairvoyance Link. I write mostly on positive energy and how to apply it to our lives. This too was used against me inside the courtroom. As mentioned above we recorded the judge via transcripts this time around. During the hearing more eye contact was made between my daughter's attorney and the judge more so than I during my examination, idicating to me an undisclosed agreement between the two.

As well when I would answer questions the judge and attorney would re-word statements so it would go on record as my having said something out of context that was not intended

We are just now starting to turn these people in to the attention of the Judicial Inquiry Boad. This Friday, 2/11/2006 we have a representative meeting with the Attorney General, Lisa Madigan.

As we are facing bankruptcy and foreclosure there is little to lose and much to gain in as many years as it may take to right this political injustice. My daughter as well will be informed when she goes to look for her mom in lieu of the years she would have had in her mother's arms.

Below is a helpful link for anyone in Woodford County, IL or anyother county in IL experiencing the same who would like to be added to our list presented to the attorney general. Any other links or individuals who could provide legal help is greatly appreciated. This is an election year, it could be beneficial to all involved



Link



on Feb 07, 2006
I'm really not surprised by this at all, I just realized that we used to live in the same town, and I know how far church ties go in Woodford County. About 13 years ago I tried to get an order of protection for my children against my mother when she was having some mental problems. She had tried to Kidnapp my son, and took him out in a snow storm, she continued to show up at daycare and was allowed to leave with him even after the daycare was told they were not to let him out the door with her. The judge stated that he was the presiding judge when I was adopted, and he knew my mother personally and knew that she would never intentionally harm my child, and he knew that she loved us and he was not going to grant my order. My father even had a heck of a fight trying to declare her incompetent so he could force her into a hospital to get help. It is not easy getting anything done, if you don't know someone personally. My 17 year old who has never been in trouble with the law before, is not facing 10 years in prison, on 2 fellony charges for a fire that did $20 worth of damage to a garbage can. The biggest problem I have is that this all could have been cleared up in a short period of time, by the principal or of the high school, or the officer that questioned him asking the bus driver if he was on the bus, which he was, and verifying that he did not get out of his last class early, but instead of trying to verify his story and find out the truth, the yelled at him and threaten to arrest him and drag him out of school in hand cuffs if he didn't confess. I'm sure you can imagine his surprise when they took him to jail anyway. He still doesn't understand any of it. He says he just wanted to get home, and he thought we'd get the whole mess sorted out later, he had no idea that they would lie to him.
on Feb 07, 2006
When the officers of the court become the child abusers, law and order dies. These people aren't lawyers and judges, they are simply criminals, no better than the scum they put in prison.

Your more patient than I'd be, I would have been naming names, and there wouldn't be a hearing or meeting where I didn't have a digital recorder hidden on me. The internet is a big place to have your own voice admitting to corruption.

But that could always backfire also.

I wish I had advice for you, but all I have is encouragement. Keep up the fight, and never forget that "there are none so free as those with nothing left to lose". Also remember that (in most cases) state attorneys general love taking down big fish in little ponds.

Most of my experience with battered women has been doing ambulance work. I've helped a few women report the abuse, and even helped a couple escape by keeping their pathetic excuse for manhood the state called their "husbands" busy while organizations helped them leave the hospital.

Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like clandestine escape is an option for you.

Finex House has a hotline you could call for advice: 800-799-SAFE
Battered Women's Legal Advocacy Project also may have some information or other help for you: 1.800.313.2666

Good luck! and I'll remember you and your daughter in my prayers.
on Feb 08, 2006

When the officers of the court become the child abusers, law and order dies. These people aren't lawyers and judges, they are simply criminals, no better than the scum they put in prison.

I agree totally.  The difference between the godhead mentality of teachers and that of Judges is the latter has the capacity to do real damage, the former just to be ignorant.

on Feb 18, 2006
Many of you are asking on how we, in IL, managed to get the IL Attorney General to open her doors. Persistence is the only word I can come up with. And knowing ahead of time the road blocks they'd throw up. While in the meeting, the AG's office stated, "it's not our jurisdiction". Carroll White stopped them in their tracts, this is how she summed it up.

Carroll White wrote:

I'm the culprit that dealt with the jurisdiction objection.

I did it pretty much as stated in the letter that you read. I surprised myself, actually. It's Constitution 101. We have three branches of government, none of which has jurisdiction over the other, but they have the power and duty to be a watch dog over each other. We call this "balance of power." I said, "You may not have jurisdiction, but you do have the ability to serve as a whistle blower when injustice occurs."

*** The AG may not have jurisdiction or authority over the family courts, but they do have a duty to the citizens of the state to blow the whistle on the use of family court as another tool of abuse against women. ***

I pointed out that the Atty Gen'l stepped in on a custody case in Illinois(Strelioff) -- we put the court papers in the appendix of our binder. I also pointed out that the Atty Gen'l endorsed a study on DV a couple of years ago. The study was conducted by DePaul Univ. law dept., and a law firm in Chicago, but the Atty Gen'l put her stamp of approval on it.

We suggested that she could do the same thing for us, using Loyola Univ. law (her alma mater), and Dr. Susan Weitzman of the Weitzman Center, who is all over this issue and on board to work with our local (225) cases.

When this Women's Policy Adviser in the Atty Genl's office heard me state all of these things on top of my handling of the jurisdiction response, she knew I knew what I was talking about and I was going to hold Lisa Madigan's hands to the fire politically.

We earned credibility in our presentation by citing specifically the laws that are being used to perpetrate this injustice. I was able to explain to them exactly how the evaluators and GALs in Illinois are unconstitutional -- "an inappropriate delegation of judicial power and authority." It's a quote I took from an attorney who I met on the street during a protest in Chicago last fall. He nailed it for me, and I've been using it ever since. That one concise phrase gets attention from attorneys. You have to speak their language. If they think you know the law, they can't brush you off with legal double speak anymore.

We also let them know that if they didn't do anything for us, we were headed to Senator Barak Obama's office next .... and the media. Carroll White

While all that was exciting to watch, more importantly the look on the policy advisers face was priceless. The whole meeting turned on the precise point, we had them!

Carroll White is preparing our presentation so others can utilize it their states. It's not that we did something others couldn't, we just organized our presentation in a way to make it bullet proof when shot at by attorney's and FR's group. She is working hard, as we speak, to accommodate all your requests
on Feb 18, 2006
What a sad pattern...

It is boasted opinions of these judges that are adding to an already backed up system. I mean blogs are really a very good example. How long can we read one of these without losing interest. The shorter the better. Then we add on to something someone else started.

When you see openly practing inflated egos parading small town churches & court rooms, how devistatingly sad and lonely really. Especially when it comes to churches none-the-less. No body cares what their negative or controlling opinions are and lose any possible reall interest or respect right away when damage becomes a practice. Normally when we consider damage it is usually an accident..a mistake. When it becomes intentional it is an embarassing legacy they leave behind for themselves.

To leave this "existence" with moment to moment destructive opinions which had to be purchased to begin with from monies retrieved by previous remains of yet another devastating incident...no real heros there!
on Feb 19, 2006
To Illinois moms and moms around the country,
Feb. 19, 2006

This email was sent by our IL Attorney Generals office by a DV policy adviser. It is very promising and we have an additional meeting set up, details to follow.

On Monday, I'll be sending around shortened Victim Impact Statements so others can start outlining their own.

This email came from Lisa Madigan's office on Friday Feb. 17, 2006

Hello Annette and Carroll,

First, I wanted to let you know that my direct supervisor, Cara Smith – the Policy Director, has encouraged me to continue to work with you.

Second, I’m reading your materials and doing some additional research. I’m gathering information which documents what you’ve told me: domestic violence survivors often lose custody of their children to their abusers. There is a lot recent national interest in this topic. The American Bar Association did a special report last year and the Violence Against Women Journal did a special issue last year too.

Third, I would like to assemble another meeting with you, Cara, and some local family violence experts, maybe from the Illinois Family Violence Coordinating Council and the Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women’s Network.

Lastly, an update of the legislative information is attached. Only one custody bill is moving this session and it’s the one that allows grandparents, great-grandparents and siblings to petition for visitation under some circumstances.

Thank you,


Women's Policy Advisor
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan
100 W. Randolph, 11th Flr
Chicago, IL 60601
on Sep 06, 2007

Better to make peace than war.

on Sep 25, 2007
Hi, the same situation happened to me,but it was in montgomery county illinois. The montgomery county police department,judges,dcfs,lawyers are all corrupt.I am thousands of dollars in dept over corrupt lawyers,paying child support,etc.I was with him for 20 years and married for 17 years.We had 3 kids,that are now 10,7 and 5.I tried to leave him many times,but the police department never would help me,i even had a 911call.But my lawyers never could get it or wouldnt.it is a very long story.he ended up getting my life(the kids)and had me in court so many times,i finally gave him everything else or be held in contempt of court.I didnt even get any pictures of my kids ,what i have i had to get from my family.I couldnt ever leave him before because he said he would get the kids because he knew the sheriff and he was right.I get to see my kids every other weekend,and it breaks my heart to send them back. because i know what they have to go through.