Partnership with Project Justice USA and One Mom’s Battle in a Critical Data Collection Effort

Forensic Psychiatrist Dr. Bandy Lee and Constitutional Lawyer Bruce Fein Join Nationwide Family Court Reform Initiative

DENVER, CO — Project Justice USA and One Mom’s Battle announced a significant partnership with Dr. Bandy X. Lee, a distinguished forensic psychiatrist and violence prevention expert with 25 years of experience and Bruce Fein, a nationally and internationally renowned constitutional lawyer, scholar and writer. This collaboration marks a pivotal advancement in the nationwide initiative to collect and analyze data on family court outcomes across the United States.

Dr. Lee, who taught at Harvard Medical School, Yale School of Medicine, and Yale Law School and led global research projects on violence prevention, will lead the research efforts analyzing the national data collected through Project Justice USA’s comprehensive survey. With extensive experience testifying before state legislatures in Colorado, New York, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Washington about family court failures, Dr. Lee brings both academic credibility and practical expertise to this critical initiative. Her background in analyzing systems that perpetuate violence makes her uniquely qualified to interpret the survey data and translate it into actionable policy recommendations.

“Through my work as an expert witness in approximately 50 family court cases, I’ve observed firsthand how these systems often actively perpetuate cycles of abuse, resulting in thousands of preventable violent deaths, particularly of children and women,” said Dr. Bandy Lee. “My experience reforming prison systems and developing violence prevention strategies at institutional levels has shown that we can transform even the most entrenched systems through data-driven approaches. I am grateful for this unprecedented opportunity to help apply rigorous research methodologies to the lived experiences of families navigating these abusive systems. By analyzing patterns across state lines, we can identify structural failures and develop evidence-based recommendations for meaningful reform that prioritize the protection of children, as well as bring transparency and accountability.”

Bruce Fein, is a nationally and internationally renowned constitutional lawyer, scholar and writer. Bruce Fein was Associate Deputy Attorney General and General Counsel to the Federal Communications Commission under President Ronald Reagan. He served as Research Director for Republicans on the Joint Congressional Committee on Covert Arms Sales to Iran, and on the American Bar Association’s Committee on Presidential Signing Statements. He has been a Visiting Fellow for Constitutional Studies at the Heritage Foundation and an adjunct scholar at American Enterprise Institute. He has advised numerous countries on constitutional reform, including South Africa, Hungary and Russia. He is regularly called to testify before the House and Senate Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees. Mr. Fein is author of Constitutional Peril: The Life and Death Struggle for Our Constitution and Democracy, and American Empire: Before the Fall. Bruce Fein is a partner in the law firm, Fein & DelValle, PLLC. Bruce Fein — HuffPost Contributor

“Dr. Bandy Lee and Bruce Fein’s involvement marks a transformative step for Project Justice USA,” said Christine McGinley, MBA, Executive Director of Project Justice USA and architect of the national family court survey. Dr. Lee’s unparalleled expertise in violence prevention and forensic psychiatry will help us translate thousands of lived experiences into evidence-based policy recommendations. Bruce Fein brings a wealth of constitutional and legal knowledge that strengthens our capacity to develop solutions grounded in justice and democracy. Together, with national data, legal insight, and clinical expertise, we are building more than just a record of public experience; we are crafting a data-driven blueprint for systemic reform that lawmakers will be compelled to act on.”

Tina Swithin, founder of One Mom’s Battle, emphasized the significance of this development: “Dr. Lee’s decision to join our effort validates what we’ve been saying for years, the family court crisis is a public emergency that demands immediate intervention. Her expertise in treating violent offenders and consulting with governments on violence prevention brings invaluable insight to our work.”

In addition, Dr. Rene Buenzow will be assisting Dr. Bandy Lee and the Project Justice team with the research data. Dr. Buenzow is a nurse practitioner, dual-specialized in family medicine and psychiatry with a doctorate in Health Care Policy from the University of Iowa. She has over 30 years of experience in preventing domestic abuse and interpersonal violence. Dr. Buenzow brings specialized knowledge and training in coercive control and family court dynamics and is a Certified Divorce Coach, has completed the Johns Hopkins Danger Assessment training, and advanced training through the Institute on Violence, Abuse, and Trauma.

Dr. Lee has previously researched social determinants that reduce violent death rates across the nation as well as the globe. She has also consulted with the U.S. Senate and multiple state governments on prison reform and community violence prevention. She has authored over 100 scientific articles and served as an expert witness in approximately 200 criminal and civil cases. Her involvement signals growing recognition of family court reform as a critical public health and safety issue.

Bruce Fein has testified as an expert witness before Congress on more than 200 occasions. He served on the American Bar Association’s Task Force on Presidential Signing Statements. He has lived through every major political-legal battle or crisis since 1969, beginning with the defeats of President Richard Nixon’s Supreme Court nominees Clement Haynsworth and G. Harold Carswell.

“These partnerships underscore our unwavering commitment to pursuing family court reform with the seriousness and the scientific and legal rigor it demands,” added McGinley. “With the expertise of Dr. Bandy Lee and Bruce Fein guiding our work, we are building an unshakable, data-driven case for change. Together, fueled by the voices of families across the nation, we aim to develop a Model Family Court Legislated Code that places child safety, accountability, and evidence-based practices at the center of our legal system.”

Project Justice USA is actively pursuing research grants from foundations and government agencies dedicated to child welfare, judicial reform, and public health. While several grant applications are in progress, the organization welcomes additional funding opportunities from philanthropic organizations, private donors, and institutional partners who share our commitment to evidence-based family court reform. This research initiative requires significant resources to ensure comprehensive data collection, rigorous analysis, and effective dissemination of findings to policymakers nationwide. Those interested in supporting this critical work can donate on the website www.projectjusticeusa.com.

About Dr. Bandy X. Lee: Dr. Lee is president of the World Mental Health Coalition and co-founder of the Violence Prevention Institute. She served as director of research for Harvard’s Center for the Study of Violence and co-founded Yale’s Violence and Health Working Group at the MacMillan Center for International Studies. Dr. Lee has consulted with numerous governments on prison reform and community violence prevention, including the U.S. Senate and the states of New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Alabama, and California, as well as the governments of Ireland and France. She helped author the United Nations Secretary-General’s chapter on “Violence against Children” and led a project group for the World Health Organization (WHO) Violence Prevention Alliance. Dr. Lee is a past fellow of the National Institute of Mental Health and recipient of the National Research Service Award. She played a key role in bringing federal investigators to Rikers Island correctional facility in 2013, initiating significant reforms, and was recently invited to help reform the 44 prisons of New York State. Her scholarly contributions include an authoritative textbook, “Violence” (2019), 17 edited scholarly books and journal special issues, over 100 scientific articles and chapters, and more than 300 opinion articles in major outlets such as the Guardian, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Independent, and Politico. Beyond the WHO, she has served as an expert consultant for the United Nations, UNESCO, and the World Economic Forum. Her clinical practice specializes in treating violent offenders, and she has served as an expert witness in approximately 200 criminal and civil cases, including 50 family court cases. For more information, visit

https://bandylee.com/

About Bruce Fein: Bruce Fein has been a renowned legal-media fixture in Washington, D.C. for more than 50 years across the political spectrum. He featured on Attorney General William French Smith’s short-list of potential nominees to the United States Supreme Court.

His unique network extends to all three branches of the government, the media, think tanks, universities, and a cluster of NGOs. Mr. Fein appears regularly on national and international television. His articles on law and public policy are ubiquitous. He conducts constitutional tutorials for Members of Congress and staff. He is Vice Chairman of the Committee for the Republic.

Mr. Fein graduated with honors from Harvard Law School and served at the highest levels of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government before establishing his own law firm. Among other things, Mr. Fein served as special assistant to the assistant attorney general in the office of legal counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice, assistant director of the office of legal policy, associate deputy attorney general, general counsel of the Federal Communications Commission, research director for the Joint Congressional Committee on Covert Arms Sales to Iran, and clerk to federal Judge Frank A. Kaufman. He has assisted multiple countries in writing or rewriting constitutions. He offers unique multi-dimensional analyses and solutions for every client. For more information, visit https://lawofficesofbrucefein.com/about

About Project Justice USA: Project Justice USA is a nationwide initiative collecting data on family court outcomes to drive evidence-based reform. Building on successful state-level work in Colorado, the project aims to provide all state lawmakers and advocates with comprehensive data to support legislative change. For more information, visit www.projectjusticeusa.com.

About One Mom’s Battle: One Mom’s Battle is an internationally recognized advocacy organization dedicated to raising awareness about family court challenges and empowering individuals to navigate post-separation abuse. For more information, visit www.onemomsbattle.com.

Media Contact:
Tina Swithin
(720) 336–2111
tina@onemomsbattle.com

(The origianl announcement is here: https://www.projectjusticeusa.com/renowned-forensic-psychiatrist-dr-bandy-lee-joins-nationwide-family-court-reform-initiative/.)