Stop the Systemic Failures in Family Courts – Protect Our Children and Constitutional Rights

Petition by Eric R. Turner, Utah

Father & National Advocate


Created April 29, 2025 

Why This Petition Matters:

Every year, over 1 million American children are affected by family court decisions that separate them from loving parents often without due process, evidence, or a fair hearing. 


This is not justice. This is a national civil rights crisis.

Family courts were meant to protect children. Instead, they too often:

 • Deny parents their day in court

 • Ignore documented abuse

 • Silence evidence

 • Favor wealth, residency, or influence over truth When courts violate the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of due process and the fundamental parental right to raise one’s child  affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in Troxel v. Granville (2000) children suffer.

We demand immediate federal action to restore accountability, transparency, and child safety in state family courts.

My Story:

A Father Silenced by a Broken System My name is Eric Turner, a father from Utah. I was awarded full legal custody of my child by an Oklahoma court. 
But in later proceedings, I was systematically excluded not because of evidence, but because I live out of state.

Despite submitting detailed reports of child abuse and neglect, the court:

 • Blocked me from hearings due to in-person requirements

 • Refused to admit critical safety evidence

 • Allowed false allegations to override prior orders

 • Failed to investigate documented harm violating Oklahoma Statute Title 10A § 1-2-101 This is not justice.

 This is state-sanctioned erasure of parental rights. And I am not alone.

A National Crisis:

The Data Speaks State family courts operate with near-total immunity, no jury trials, and little public oversight.

The result? Widespread due process violations and preventable harm.

Systemic Failure Verified Impact Guardian ad Litem (GAL):

Bias Up to 30% of cases show evaluator conflicts or lack of DV/mental health training (HHS & NCJFCJ)

Parental Alienation Misuse 25–38% of valid abuse reports dismissed as “alienation,” punishing protective parents (GWU/ABA studies)

Financial Barriers: 70% of low-income parents go unrepresented;

Black & Indigenous families are 2x more likely to lose custody (NCJFCJ)

Domestic Violence Screening Failures Only ~40% of victims properly screened; abusers win custody in 60%+ of contested cases (CDC NISVS)

Substance Use Stigma 1 in 5 families penalized despite recovery;

courts ignore rehab evidence (SAMHSA NSDUH) Interstate Enforcement Gaps 15%+ failure rate in cross-state custody orders (Uniform Law Commission) No national database tracks custody outcomes or judicial violations hiding the scale of the crisis.

Who This Hurts Most

 • Deployed service members forced to choose between duty and family

 • Domestic violence survivors retraumatized and stripped of children

 • Out-of-state parents denied remote access to justice

 • Low-income families & parents of color crushed by bias and fees

 • Children — the true victims — left in unstable, unsafe homes

We Demand:

A Federal Response to a National Crisis

We call on Congress,

the U.S. Department of Justice, and state legislatures to act now.

 1. Convene Congressional Hearings

• Investigate due process violations in family courts

• Examine impact on parental rights and child safety

 • Hold public, televised proceedings

2. Launch DOJ Civil Rights Investigation

 • Probe systemic misconduct under 42 U.S.C. § 1983

 • Audit judicial practices, evidence rules, and abuse reporting failures

 3. Enact a National Parents’ Bill of Rights;

Mandate Universal Remote Access Guaranteed Zoom/phone participation for all hearings especially out-of-state parents

Fair Evidence Rules All relevant evidence reviewed; exclusions justified in writing

Transparent Rulings Publicly accessible findings of fact tied to “best interest” standard Independent Abuse Investigations Mandatory, impartial probes by trained experts not court insiders

Holistic Assessments, Substance use, mental health, and recovery evaluated in context not isolated drug tests 

4. Create a Federal Family Court Oversight Commission

 • Modeled on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

 • With subpoena power, annual audits, and sanction recommendations

 • Focused on 14th Amendment compliance and child protection Federal courts cannot run state family law but they can enforce constitutional rights.

This is about accountability, not takeover.

This Petition Will Be Delivered To:

 • U.S. Congress (House & Senate Judiciary Committees)

 • U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division

 • U.S. Attorney General

 • Oklahoma Governor, Attorney General, and Legislature

 • National Media: The New York Times, Washington Post, AP, NBC, CBS

 • Advocacy Leaders: ACLU, Children’s Defense Fund, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

Your Voice Can Change This If you’ve ever been:

 • Denied your day in court

 • Had evidence ignored

 • Lost your child without cause

 • Watched abuse go unaddressed You are not alone. 
Your story is proof this system is broken.

Sign now.

Share your comment.

Tag a lawmaker. 


Together, we will force hearings, spark investigations, and protect the next generation.

“The parental right to direct the upbringing of a child is a fundamental liberty interest.”
— Troxel v. Granville, U.S. Supreme Court (2000)

Sign. Share. Stand with us.


For every silenced parent.


For every child in danger.
For the soul of American justice.

 Eric R. Turner, 
Utah Father a National Advocate
www.change.org/familycourtjustice
All

signatures and stories will be compiled into a formal report for Congress and the DOJ.