Parent Vs State

Araqa Miller’s case in Ohio shows how a mother can be stripped of her child and her freedom through a process riddled with red flags about service, notice, and child safety. Court records, police correspondence, and internal emails reveal a system that recognized its own procedural failures yet continued toward a criminal conviction and a…

Court-appointed counsel in juvenile dependency proceedings can be both a lifeline and a liability, depending on the quality of representation, the structure of the local system, and whether the attorney treats the case as a true high stakes civil rights matter or as just another file in a heavy caseload. Juvenile dependency cases begin when…

Drug testing in family dependency cases can serve a legitimate safety function, but the way it is demanded, administered, and interpreted often pushes it toward coercion and, in some jurisdictions, into constitutionally suspect territory. The Supreme Court has recognized the right to raise one’s child as a fundamental liberty interest protected by the Fourteenth Amendment,…

When child protective services (CPS) knocks at your door, the Fourth Amendment generally gives you the same core protections you have against the police. Your home cannot be searched, and your children cannot be seized, without a warrant, valid consent, or a true emergency (exigent circumstances). Courts have repeatedly rejected any “social worker exception” to…

Have you ever sat through a court hearing where everything about the process felt wrong? The prosecutor presents evidence and testimony with confidence. Witnesses speak without challenge. Allegations are repeated as if they are already proven facts. Meanwhile, your court-appointed attorney says little, raises no meaningful objections, and offers no real defense. The hearing moves…

In recent weeks, questions have surfaced regarding Judge Brett Spencer’s alleged concerns about the welfare of children housed at the Wilson Children’s Home in Adams County Ohio. It has become clear to the public that, although many Adams County officials attempt to project an image of accountability, that image is often nothing more than a…

We talk about equality and justice, like they’re the bedrock of our society, constants we can rely on, etched into our laws, and our collective conscience. But honestly, equality and justice are more like beautiful, distant ideals that only flicker into existence when the conditions are just right. They depend entirely on who you are,…