The Families Civil Liberties Union is a professional, politically neutral, national activist organization. We Work For You. We fight for fairness in the family court system.

Our mission is the continuing effort to unify families through the use of fair and standard equal practices in our family court system nationally. We seek to omit the need for bitter, costly and unnecessary court litigation by establishing family court reform for basic human and parental rights for all parents that will allow them to focus on what is important in our society, our children.

The FCLU works towards equalized gender rights, the certification and oversight of matrimonial attorneys, the establishment of a firm and aggressive investigative program and a system of fairness that benefits families by ensuring a fair, unbiased, competent and responsible judicial system.

We work by using all facets of the law, congressional hearings, public forums and all resources to ensure that the rules and regulations of family law, be implemented in a modern and fair manner. Our “One Voice” model consolidates and galvanizes the voices of all who have experienced the anguish and inequalities of our current family court system.

With the power of the press afforded to us in the USA and our innovative programs and tactics that raise awareness, we shall see the long overdue changes that will place American families first in family court.

• Introduce shared parenting legislation, and establish the presumption of equal time between mothers and fathers, unless abuse or neglect is proven by a full hearing when all parties have had a chance to call witnesses and provide a defense.
• End ‘absolute judicial immunity’, which allows American family-court judges to run amok, and uphold our civil and constitutional rights to seek recourse when damages are inflicted.
• Investigate the misconduct of corrupt judges — and remove them from the bench and, when appropriate, punish them for criminal conduct like fraud, kickbacks, obstruction of justice, and extortion.
• Reform the corrupt and ineffectual our oversight bodies on the judiciary. These fail to provide oversight on judges, investigating less than 0.1% of complaints received. Establish new oversight agencies, made up of non-judges and non-attorneys, which ensures that courts provide due-process to everyone.
• Reform the fraudulent and abusive attorney disciplinary organizations, which neglect to provide accountability for attorneys. Establish a new agency entirely independent of the American Bar Association to investigate and punish attorney misconduct. Prohibit attorneys from appearing before judges whose electoral campaigns they have funded. Cap legal fees in family litigation.
• Reform the wasteful, poisonous ‘child-support’ system. Stop the racket of States taking Federal funds from Title IV-D programs in exchange for custody rulings that establish one parent as custodial, and the other as a ‘visitor’. Stop locking up parents unable to pay child-support.
• Reform the wasteful and abusive system of ‘attorneys-for-the child’ (AKA ‘guardians ad litem)’. Defund wasteful, corrupt ‘charities’ like New York’s Children’s Law Center, whose AFCs receive $65mn in taxpayer funds to prolong custody battles and aggravate families.
• Reform the system of restraining orders, which family courts hand out like candy to parents accusing an ex of sexual/physical abuse. Introduce harsh sentences for parents found guilty of parental alienation or making false allegations against a co-parent.
• Reform the cronyistic and ineffective system of appeals. Make the Appellate Divisions truly independent of the lower courts. Simplify the appeals process, and cut the costs. Automatic stays should be imposed when civil or constitutional rights violations are involved.
• Provide training to incoming family court judges, and put a cap on the amount of cases they can take.
• Introduce transparency to family courts by prohibiting back-room conferences, mandating a stenographic or audio record, allowing cameras to all courtrooms, and opening case files.