Sorry to take so long getting back. I've spent much of the week trying to confirm some things before I posted them here. They're pretty well confirmed now, though, so here goes.
First, about Judge George. I was shocked to learn that he should never even have heard the case regarding the EPO. According to our attorney, it should have gone to the judge who handled the original divorce. That would be Judge Byer. So, he dissolved the EPO and sent the boys back when it shouldn't even have been his case to hear.
Next, I was shocked to learn that I was right. (That may surprise my wife - finding I was right about something.) According to the rules of court for Jefferson County (published by the State Supreme Court), Judge George had an obligation to hear our witnesses. It's very clear cut. Wonder why he doesn't follow the rules?
And now for our buddies at CPS. I mentioned the Family Court Clerk was having trouble finding the file. Now we know why. Imagine this. ANY CASE that CPS enters is immediately classified "Confidential". That means it becomes a secret. No one except the parties to the case can have access to it. Stop and think about what that means. It means that whatever CPS does, it's a secret. If they conduct an "investigation" and it involves you, you have no right to know what they said. No matter how badly they may botch a case, you'll never know. It's a secret.
Now, here's an opinion for you. It is my considered opinion that "secrecy" has no place in the judicial system. Courts (and files) should be open to the public. This is not Hitler's Germany, or Stalin's Russia. This is a democracy. These are judges we elected. These are courtrooms we pay for. What do they have to hide? It's an interesting thought.
I've launched a somewhat devious plan to challenge the secrecy issue on the cheap. More about that in the next post. I'll let you know what's up.
