Protect Families: Pass the Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act

Petition by: Shenelle Blyden, U.S. Veteran & Mother

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Why This Matters

Across Georgia and the United States, parents are losing their fundamental right to raise and protect their children because of due process violations, sealed records, and unchecked judicial misconduct. My own case in Muscogee County, Georgia (Case No. SU2022DM000644) shows exactly why we need federal protections under the Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act.

In my case:

 • Due Process Denied – Hearings were held and orders issued without proper notice, violating the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and O.C.G.A. § 9-11-60(d)(3) (relief from judgment when a party had no notice or opportunity to be heard).

 • Withheld & Sealed Records – DFCS records subpoenaed in Dockets 27, 28, and 31 were never fully produced, violating O.C.G.A. § 49-5-41 (parental right to access records).

 • Defective Filings & Notarizations – Court accepted filings despite improper notarization, contrary to O.C.G.A. § 45-17-8 (prohibiting conflict-of-interest notarizations).

 • Judicial & Attorney Misconduct – Unauthorized amendments and orders were entered, in violation of Georgia Code of Judicial Conduct Canon 1 & 2 and Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 3.3 (candor to the tribunal).

 • Impact on Children – The concealment of my child’s location constitutes interference with custody under O.C.G.A. § 16-5-45, and denial of communication with my child violates my federally protected right to familial association under Troxel v. Granville, 530 U.S. 57 (2000).

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What the Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act Would Do

The Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act is designed to protect parents and children by:

 • Guaranteeing due process before any custody, visitation, or parental rights are altered.

 • Ensuring transparency of records, limiting unlawful sealing or withholding of evidence.

 • Holding judges, attorneys, and agencies accountable for misconduct.

 • Recognizing the constitutional rights of parents as fundamental liberty interests.

 • Protecting children from the trauma of unlawful separation from fit and loving parents.

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Our Call to Action

We demand Congress move forward with the Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act to safeguard families from the abuses that destroyed mine and so many others. Families deserve protection from:

 • Judicial misconduct and fraud upon the court (Hazel-Atlas Glass Co. v. Hartford-Empire Co., 322 U.S. 238 (1944)).

 • DFCS falsification and concealment of evidence.

 • Retaliatory prosecution against parents seeking justice (42 U.S.C. § 1983 civil rights protections).

 • Court processes that prioritize politics over children’s best interests (O.C.G.A. § 19-9-3 requires custody decisions to be in the best interest of the child).

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How You Can Help

 • Sign this petition to demand federal action.

 • Share my story to raise awareness of systemic failures in family court.

 • Stand with parents and children across America who deserve fairness, justice, and protection.

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Together We Can Make Change

Families are the foundation of society. When courts and agencies can separate children from fit parents without accountability, everyone is at risk. It is time for Congress to act and pass the Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act.

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👉 Sign & Share Now. Protect families. Protect children. Protect rights.