Every day in Delaware, women walk into family court hoping for protection, and end up leaving re-traumatized.

Instead of safety, they face silence, and instead of justice, they are met with judicial indifference or outright bias.

Over and over again, Delaware judges and commissioners are ruling in favor of abusive, neglectful, and/or addicted parents. Protective orders (PFAs) are denied without cause. Credible evidence is ignored. And mothers who speak up are dismissed as “emotional,” “unstable,” or “vindictive”—labels that strip away their credibility while placing children directly in harm’s way.

This is not just one case. It's a systemic failure.

In custody disputes and PFA hearings, Delaware Family Court shows a disturbing pattern of judicial misconduct, unchecked bias, and decisions that defy logic, safety, and evidence. Complaints filed against judges and commissioners go nowhere. Parents trying to protect their children are punished. The system isn’t broken; it’s protecting itself.

I know this because I've also lived it. I represented myself in a PFA hearing where Commissioner James J. Maxwell dismissed my safety concerns, openly badgered me, and even encouraged the opposing party to press charges against me after they had already declined. They also disregarded the fact that my ex was in possession of my firearm, which he refused to return, then claimed he had given it to someone else. The commissioner accepted this without further investigation. 

I presented documented concerns about alcohol abuse and dangerous behavior. I presented military disciplinary records, proof of a failed security clearance due to dishonesty about drinking, a past DUI, photos, purchase histories, and direct admissions from my ex. The court said it “didn’t matter” because it was “too old.”

In a custody hearing, Judge Natalie J. Haskins removed a breathalyzer system that was already in place to monitor my ex-husband's alcohol use, before completing a court-ordered substance abuse evaluation.

The breathalyzer system was put in place for a reason, based on documented concerns. Her reasoning for removing it was that she felt I probably don’t know the difference between an alcoholic and someone who drinks socially. The judge then said that “I have to take risks” when it comes to my child’s safety. This rationale is unacceptable, and it's dangerous. Substance abuse is a progressive disease that cannot be dismissed based on assumptions or bias. Stripping away safety measures before critical evaluations are complete is not lawful discretion, it's actually judicial negligence.

Under normal legal standards, these types of decisions—ignoring credible, documented, and relevant evidence of ongoing substance abuse—would be considered judicial misconduct.

Judges do have discretion, but that discretion must be rooted in law, fact, and a commitment to protecting children. Ignoring risk, dismissing evidence without explanation, and stripping away safety measures without completion of required evaluations is not discretion; it's a dangerous abuse of power.

I am not the only one. I’ve seen case after case; women who are being stalked and/or abused; whose children are being silenced, and even murdered. Women denied PFAs. Survivors forced to share custody with violent partners. It is happening daily.

Therefore, we demand:

• An independent task force to investigate patterns of judicial bias and misconduct in the Delaware Family Court.
• State-level oversight of judges and commissioners who handle custody and PFA cases.
• Transparent reporting and complaint systems with public access to judicial disciplinary history.
• A presumption of risk when credible abuse, addiction, or neglect is raised, especially in child custody cases.
• Protection against retaliation for whistleblowers, survivors, and parents who raise concerns in court.

This is not just a judicial issue—law enforcement is complicit in the harm. Too often, survivors are ignored, dismissed, and/or re-traumatized by police when they attempt to seek help. Reports of domestic violence, stalking, threats, and child endangerment are brushed off. Officers minimize actual danger, fail to take appropriate action, or shift blame onto the victim, setting the tone for how the courts treat us. Statistics show that women are murdered every day by current or former partners, often after prior reports were ignored and minimized by law enforcement. When police fail to act, they allow danger to escalate.

We are demanding reform. Law enforcement must also be held accountable for how they respond to victims of abuse and custody-related concerns. This includes trauma-informed training, real accountability for negligence, and a system-wide overhaul of how abuse and child safety are evaluated and enforced. We can no longer tolerate a culture where abuse is normalized and protection is optional.

This petition is for the families, women, and children who are being ignored, silenced, and endangered by Delaware’s family court system. If this has happened to you, you're not alone.

Your voice matters.

Add your name. Share your story. Let’s demand better. It’s time to hold Delaware's Judicial System accountable.