Arizona Senate Takes Remarkable Lead in Family Court Accountability

We Must Help It to Maintain Momentum

Finally, there are legislators who see Family Courts for the national emergency that they are — an emergency that should in principle be immediately bringing in the National Guard and be rounding up all the judges! Most “court players” will be serial kidnappers and serial murderers, and doing so would perhaps save the 100,000 children per year who are being sold to their rape, torture, battery, and murder, year after year. However, since Family Courts are an organized criminal enterprise that has maintained its human trafficking “business” through threats, intimidation, and violence against witnesses or whistleblowers, if not murder, few legislatures have been willing to confront them, and law enforcement, including the FBI, has been too compromised to hold them accountable. Hence, the public will have to support, as much as we can, the Arizona legislators who are admirably stepping up, for there is a catch-22: the more successful they are, the more they will be targeted. The Arizona Senate has already received overwhelming answers (Senator Mark Finchem stated: “I have never seen this kind of response!”)—the same experience of myself as well as the United Nations (UN) special rapporteur—and the same kind of overwhelming public backing will be necessary for any change. The degree of Family Courts’ criminality may be assessed by the extent of their retaliation: every time there is new legislation, they twist it in their favor, instead of applying it as intended; even after the UN report came out, decrying their human rights abuses, the author received unprecedented threats and harassment, and Family Court practices have grown worse, not better. The same underhanded tactics must not be allowed this time.

Committee on Family Court Orders Sheds Light on Stories of System Abuse, Devastating Consequences for Families

April 15, 2025

PHOENIX, ARIZONA — State lawmakers are investigating allegations of ongoing abuse within Arizona’s family court system through a series of joint ad hoc committee hearings, with the first commencing Monday. Personal stories from aggrieved parents and traumatized children revealed disturbing patterns of judicial overreach, lack of accountability, and the silencing of parents and children in custody battles.

Chaired by Senator Mark Finchem and Representative Rachel Keshel, the Joint Ad Hoc Committee on Family Court Orders brought long-overdue attention to the lived experiences of families who have been taken advantage of by a system that is meant to protect them. Multiple parents explained how they have spent nearly a decade in court, costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars — one even exceeding $1 million, due to prolonged custody battles involving court-ordered therapeutic intervention (TI).

Acknowledging the urgency of the situation, a second committee hearing is scheduled for May 12 to continue addressing these issues and begin shaping legislative solutions aimed at restoring integrity and justice to Arizona’s family court system.

“I have serious concerns that the civil rights of children are being violated. We will not allow these voices to go unheard any longer,” said Senator Finchem. “Real change needs to happen to the family courts in Arizona. We can’t take a problem that is this big and give it a simple solution. It was made clear today by those who spoke of their experience, the system is breaking families, and the role of certain court professionals needs to be evaluated. I was appalled when the only person who testified in favor of court-ordered TI, Kristyn Alcott, a frequent court-appointed ‘therapeutic parenting time supervisor’ said in essence, the court can order whatever they would like, that is why we have a court of appeals. A judge cannot order whatever they would like. They are required to uphold the rule of law. Over the course of four additional committee hearings, we will work on solutions to safeguard families and hold bad actors accountable for any self-serving unreasonable practices.”

“As a legislator and a mother, I can’t stay silent while Arizona families are being torn apart behind closed courtroom doors,” said Representative Keshel. “What we heard in the committee was heartbreaking — but not surprising. Parents are being silenced, children are being traumatized, and the people responsible hide behind the bench or a therapy license. We have a duty to expose this abuse and fix a system that no longer serves the best interests of the child.”

(Original press release can be found here: https://www.azsenaterepublicans.gov/post/committee-on-family-court-orders-sheds-light-on-stories-of-system-abuse-devastating-consequences-fo.)

(Watch the April hearing here:)

Arizona Lawmakers Continue Hearings Into Family Court System

May 11, 2025

By Jonathan Eberle

A special legislative committee examining Arizona’s family court system will convene again Monday, May 12, as allegations of widespread abuse and violations of children’s civil rights take center stage.

State Senator Mark Finchem, chair of the Joint Legislative Ad Hoc Committee on Family Court Orders, is encouraging parents who have been negatively affected by the state’s family courts to testify during the second of five planned hearings.

According to Finchem, the committee has been inundated with stories from parents and children who say they have been mistreated or silenced by the court system. In a statement, he described the issue as not just a statewide concern, but a “nationwide crisis.”

“We expect to see over 400 people at the upcoming hearing after the traumatic stories we’ve heard and evidence we’ve seen,” Finchem said. “At this committee, we will address concerns over children’s civil rights being violated, unlicensed court-appointed medical ‘professionals’ infiltrating the system, and we will allow every voice to be heard.”

The committee’s investigation was launched following mounting complaints about Arizona’s family courts, which handle custody, divorce, and parental rights cases. Critics say the system too often fails to protect the best interests of children and allows unqualified professionals — such as court-appointed therapists or evaluators without proper licenses — to influence life-altering decisions.

The committee’s first hearing, held earlier this year, drew emotional testimony from parents alleging coercion, judicial overreach, and lack of due process. Lawmakers are using the hearings to gather testimony and evidence that could inform future legislation aimed at reforming family court procedures.

Arizona is not alone in facing scrutiny over its family courts. In recent years, states like California, Connecticut, and Georgia have also seen public outcries over custody rulings, allegations of judicial misconduct, and concerns about the lack of oversight of court-appointed professionals.

The committee will recess at noon and reconvene after the Senate and House floor sessions adjourn. Hearings are expected to continue through the summer, with three additional sessions scheduled before the end of the year.

(Original article can be found here: https://azfreenews.com/2025/05/arizona-lawmakers-continue-hearings-into-family-court-system-amid-allegations-of-civil-rights-violations/.)

(Watch the May hearing here:)

Hobbs Vetoes Legislation, Undermining the Civil Rights of Children in Arizona

May 14, 2025

PHOENIX, ARIZONA — Senator Mark Finchem is expressing outrage after learning Governor Hobbs callously vetoed legislation that would have protected the safety and civil rights of children in Arizona’s family court system.

“This commonsense measure would have safeguarded Arizona’s vulnerable youth from the horrors of court-ordered reunification programs and the financial burdens they pose on parents after divorce proceedings,” said Senator Finchem, Chairman of the Joint Legislative Ad Hoc Committee on Family Court Orders. “It is unconscionable that the governor chose to uphold a system that silences victims, strips them of their rights, and allows for abuse under the guise of justice.”

With the adoption of a strike everything amendment from Senator Finchem, HB 2256, sponsored by Representative Rachel Keshel, would have prohibited a court from ordering payment, without the appropriate party’s consent, for therapeutic intervention in specified proceedings. The bill also established requirements for expert testimony in these proceedings.

“Parents are bankrupt. Children are being raped, abused, and mutilated. However, the so-called unlicensed therapeutic interventionists are reaping benefits off the continuous abuse and flow of money through the family court system. You’d think after the family court committee this week, where hundreds of people attended and 1,200 people viewed online, Hobbs would realize the significance of this crisis impacting children and think twice before vetoing the bill. With Hobbs being a social worker herself, and someone who was a member of the Domestic Relations Committee at the state courts, I’d expect more from her. Sadly, I’m not surprised with her decision to supply her friends with dirty money over the health and wellbeing of Arizona’s vulnerable children population. It is clear her veto action protects the profit motive and self-dealing facilitated by family court orders.”

(Original press release can be found here: https://www.azsenaterepublicans.gov/post/hobbs-vetoes-legislation-undermining-the-civil-rights-of-children-in-arizona.)

(See you at the next hearing, on June 16, 2025!)