This story is born out of personal pain and frustration. My young niece, who lives with autism and is nonverbal, showed signs of sexual abuse and neglect.  Unfortunately my niece and my sister facing This situation was brought to a court of law, with an appointed Amicus. Despite the marking signs of abuse, the Amicus managed to shut down further investigations which included bullying of involved parties such as her mother. This is not an isolated incident.

Amicus Curiae, or 'friend of the court', is a role that has been instituted to help the court make informed decisions about child welfare and custody cases. However, as of now, there seems to be a power imbalance and a lack of accountability that is failing our children and families in distress. Judges often defer to the briefings given by Amici, without taking a closer look at additional evidence, a habit that could further enable such serious omissions.

Out of the approximately three million family law cases involving children in 2012, about 11 percent used an Amicus Curiae ("Family Court Litigation," 2013). We do not know how many times the same issue of misused authority and avoided accountability arose, but even once is too many.

We, the community, demand a strict revision of the role and duties of the Amicus in family law. Their power to influence should be balanced by stringent regulations, checks and balances, and robust accountability to avoid the misuse of power. We insist on implementing mechanisms that ensure a comprehensive examination of all facts provided in child welfare cases, not just a blind dependence on Amicus briefings.

Help us rebuild trust in a system that was designed to protect our most vulnerable. Sign our petition now.