Family Court Injustice is Community Injustice - Your Taxes Pay For It

So ya think what happens in Family Court doesn't impact you? You're never going to divorce or need to settle estate issues - right?

If you never thought Family Court issues would affect you - think again. Families in distress impact our schools, religious institutions and public resources on many fronts.

Estate issues aside, not only are you likely to end up in family court at some point with approximately 50% divorce rate, families in distress cost all of us much, much more than you probably care to realize.

Consider what happens when children's ability to thrive is compromised. Consider the impact on their extended relationships with peers, teachers, schools, administrators, special needs programs, medical, psychological, social service providers, police and fire responding to more domestic issues, juvenile delinquency rates climbing, increased need for more non-profit and community services and tuition assistance, employers asked to be more flexible for parenting issues - or parents losing jobs, or taking multiple lower paying more time flexible jobs, small businesses are more vulnerable to vandalism and petty theft ...do I really need to continue?

What?! Don't even go there! These problems are rampant in the suburbs. Well disguised, but all too prevalent.

In Cohasset, roughly 62% of our real estate tax bills go to fund education including all the programs our schools need to offer. Kids in distress have more needs and our schools absorb much of that expense. I'm not saying the schools should cut services. If anything they can be a safe haven and I'd support adding services. The point today is reaching those of you who think family court doesn't matter to you. It does. You pay for it.

You pay the Judges' salary, the court staff and officers, the records maintenance, storage, processing, the acquisition, development and maintenance of real estate for courthouses, jails... the list goes on.

Think about those 2 facts again:
1. About 50% of families will divorce
2. 62% of our real estate taxes go to education.

Do you still think what happens in family court doesn't impact you and your tax dollars?

Okay, consider these Plymouth County facts:
According to the 2002 Census there are an estimated 113,623 family households in Plymouth County. Nearly 20%, or 22,414 are Female Householders. Nearly 13%, or 14,927, are Female Householder with own child(ren) under 18 living with them. 66.5% of all Female Householders are parents.

It is likely that the majority, if not very close to all, of the estimated 14,927 Female Householders had to appear before one of 5 Plymouth County Judges at some point re: custody, support, or other important family matter. This is but one County in Massachusetts. One County where just one Judge can set precedent far reaching to all 14 MA Counties.

Now, consider the history of one Judge on the bench only 5 years:
Appointed in 2002, in only 5 years Judge Michael J. Livingstone has the following distinctions:

1. Most appealed Justice in the Commonwealth - 54 cases per

http://www.ma-appellatecourts.org/search_judge.php?dlj=Livingstone.

2. First Justice in the Commonwealth in approximately 20 years to have misconduct charges filed against him by the Supreme Judicial Court - See Boston Globe article

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/10/23/plymouth_judge_accused_of_breaking_rules_of_conduct/

3. Sent an innocent man to jail, October 2007. See: WVCB Boston Channel.com story at http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/14763949/detail.html

4. Highest contempt incarceration of any Judge in New England (according to blogger Chris of Needham Ma on blog found at www.topix.com/city/newbedford

5. Prevented a single parent from relocating to more affordable, close by state with the support of family and better work prospects. Instead, he limited her relocation ability to 30 minutes from current address consisting of no longer affordable towns and the Atlantic Ocean.

Still think Family Court doesn't impact and shouldn't matter to you? Well, there are those of us who will always chose to wear blinders.

For those of us choosing reality, in hopes of making all of our lives better, please read other postings on this blog related to Judge Michael Livingstone and the misconduct charges pending against him. Hopefully I will post more very soon.

Please send your comments and stories to JaneSmithOrg@aol.com

THANK YOU!