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2 - Analysis / 3 - Investigations / Child Custody / Child Custody / Child Welfare / Domestic Policy / Domestic Violence / Family Court / Family Court Reform / Government / Institutions / Institutions & Accountability / Justice & Governance

The Same Tools

- by Michael Phillips - Leave a Comment

The article examines how tactics for controlling partners in marriage are mirrored in family court environments, highlighting systemic failures to recognize and address coercive control. Through multiple cases, it illustrates how these controlling behaviors persist in legal proceedings, resulting in devastating outcomes for parents and children, often exacerbated by institutional biases and inadequate judicial training.

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3 - Investigations / 4 - Cases / Brenna Gano Case / California / California Watch / Court Corruption / Family Court Reform / Institutions / Legal Reform / The California Custody Cartel

The Ambush

- by Michael Phillips - 1 Comment

Brenna Gano’s tumultuous experience in San Mateo County family court culminated in a misleading Zoom mediation on February 15, 2022, where she faced undue pressure to sign a Memorandum of Agreement regarding custody and finances. This occurred amid a financial disparity and lack of proper legal representation, leading to claims of duress and calls for the agreement to be set aside.

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Ada Accommodations / Beyond Barriers and Disability Rights / California / California Watch / Civil Rights / Civil Rights / Constitutional Law / Constitutional Rights / Court Reform / Crime & Violence / Disability / Disability Rights / Disability Rights / Due Process Denied / Family Court / Legal Reform / Misconduct / San Marcos Abduction Attempt / The Smiel Series

Inside People v. Smiel: When Process Becomes the Story

- by Michael Phillips - Leave a Comment

Giselle Smiel faces five felonies, including kidnapping, for picking up her crying child at a San Diego school. Her defense argues there was no force or substantial movement, pointing to lack of evidence and jurisdictional issues. Advocates highlight constitutional violations and ADA neglect in her arrest, seeking dismissal of charges and oversight on family-court mechanisms in criminal cases.

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Accountability / Ada Accommodations / Beyond Barriers and Disability Rights / California / California Watch / Child Custody / Civil Rights / Civil Rights / Corruption / Court Corruption / Court Reform / Crime & Violence / Criminal / Disability / Disability Rights / Disability Rights / Discrimination / Domestic Violence / Due Process Denied / Family Court / Family Court Reform / Government Corruption / Legal Reform / Parental Rights / parental rights / Rights and Freedoms / San Marcos Abduction Attempt / The Corruption Series / The Smiel Series / transparency

The Records They Wouldn’t Release — and the Mother They Jailed

- by Michael Phillips - Leave a Comment

The case of Giselle Smiel highlights significant issues of transparency and jurisdictional failures in California’s justice system. After a May 2025 incident involving alleged child abduction, Smiel faced six felony charges despite having no criminal history. Denied access to public records and effective legal representation, she remains in jail, raising concerns over systemic accountability and due process.

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Accountability / California / California Watch / Child Custody / Child Custody / Child Protective Services / Child Trafficking / Corruption / Court Corruption / Domestic Violence / Family Court / Government / Government Corruption / Law Enforcement / Misconduct / Overreach / Parental Rights / San Marcos Abduction Attempt / The Corruption Series / transparency

California’s Family Courts Are Legal Abuse Factories

- by Michael Phillips - 2 Comments.

A protective mother fled Los Angeles to the San Diego area for safety and survival, only to be hunted down by law enforcement acting on the orders of the LA County DA. Now she sits in jail on half a million dollars bail, accused of “kidnapping” her own children. Her children are locked in foster detention, separated and traumatized. This is not justice—it is legal abuse, a California family court system run like a circus of lawless clowns in robes and badges.

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Child Custody / Child Custody / Child Support / Child Support / Child Trafficking / Civil Rights / Corruption / Court Corruption / Court Of Ruin The William Sewell Files / Family Court / Family Court Reform / Father's Rights / Fraud / Government Corruption / Misconduct / parental rights / Rights and Freedoms / South Carolina / South Carolina Watch / The Corruption Series / Veterans

Justice in Name Only: Veterans Expose Abuse in Summerville and Dorchester Family Courts

- by Michael Phillips - Leave a Comment

Two South Carolina veterans say they faced not justice, but systematic torture in Summerville and Dorchester family courts. William Sewell and Lee describe the same pattern: crushing fees, intimidation, and jail threats under Judge Mandy Kimmons and attorney Jason Wheeler. What should have been custody hearings became, in their words, an assembly line of punishment and profit. Their stories raise a chilling question: if men who once defended American freedom are now stripped of their own rights in family court, what does that say about the state of justice in South Carolina?

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Accountability / Attorneys / Civil Rights / Constitutional Rights / Corruption / Free Speech / Freedom of the Press / Government Corruption / Judges / New York / New York Watch / Politics / Rights and Freedoms / The Corruption Series / The Last Free Press: How Substack Became a Crime Scene

The McMahon Machine: Where Feelings Are Felonies and Substack Is a Crime Scene

- by Michael Phillips - Leave a Comment

In Staten Island, free speech isn’t just under fire — it’s apparently a criminal offense. DA Mike McMahon, rattled by a Substack post that bruised his ego, is now treating satire like sabotage and dissent like a felony. If feelings are the new felony standard, we might need to build more jails — for writers, bloggers, and anyone with a spine. Welcome to McMahon’s America, where the Constitution takes a backseat to crybaby prosecution.

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Accountability / Attorneys / Child Custody / Child Custody / Child Support / Child Support / Corruption / Court Corruption / Family Court / Family Court Reform / Government Corruption / Judges / RICO/Racketeering / The Corruption Series

How Do You Trust a System That’s Designed to Break You? The Case for a RICO Investigation into Family Courts

- by Michael Phillips - Leave a Comment

Family courts are described as exploiting parents while purportedly acting in the child’s best interests. The system prioritizes profit over justice, as judges and attorneys operate within a self-serving network that undermines accountability. To address these issues, a federal investigation into family court practices and financial incentives is urgently needed.

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Child Custody / Child Custody / Child Support / Child Support / Corruption / Court Corruption / Family Court / Family Court Reform / Mental Health / parental rights / The Corruption Series

When They Steal Your Children: How to Still Feel Like a Parent in a System That Wants You to Disappear

- by Michael Phillips - Leave a Comment

The content discusses the emotional turmoil faced by parents who feel erased by family court decisions. It emphasizes that despite these challenges, they remain parents. Suggestions include writing letters to their children, preserving memories, speaking their names, and finding support. The piece encourages resilience, self-improvement, and turning grief into positive actions.

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Child Custody / Child Custody / Civil Rights / Constitutional Law / Constitutional Rights / Family Court / Family Court Reform / Father's Rights / Opinion / parental rights / Rights and Freedoms

A Second Declaration: How the Family Court Crisis Mirrors the Reasons We Fought for Independence

- by Michael Phillips - Leave a Comment

The article by Michael Phillips argues that modern family courts in the U.S. mirror the injustices of colonial rule, stripping parents of rights and imposing financial burdens without representation. It highlights issues of autonomy, accountability, and exploitation, urging a movement for reform to restore parental rights and challenge the corrupt judicial system.

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