America’s Family Court Crisis: Join Arizona’s June 16 Hearing to Amplify Victims’ Voices
ARIZONA JOINT LEGISLATIVE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON FAMILY COURT ORDERS, Hearing no. 3
America’s family courts fail victims, but Arizona’s June 16, 2025, hearing offers a chance to amplify their voices and drive lasting reform. The Joint Legislative Ad Hoc Committee on Family Court Orders, chaired by Sen. Mark Finchem and co-chaired by Rep. Rachel Keshel, invites Arizona parents affected by family courts to testify at its third public hearing on June 16, 2025, at 9 a.m. in Senate Hearing Room 2, Arizona State Senate, 1700 W. Washington St., Phoenix. Voices from across the nation fuel this call for change. Although the committee cannot resolve individual cases, testimony will shape 2026 reforms. The hearing, running 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a noon recess, is open to the public and livestreamed at azleg.gov. Testimony becomes public record. For details, contact Kim Quintero at kquintero@azleg.gov. With national legislators, the DOJ and FBI urged to probe judicial immunity and profit-driven abuses. This hearing marks a pivotal moment for justice.
To grasp the depth of this crisis, explore this investigative series exposing victims’ stories and systemic failures:
"The horrific stories we've heard thus far are playing a pivotal role in shaping meaningful legislative reforms for the upcoming session. Too many parents and children feel they have been silenced or dismissed by a system that's supposed to protect them. This is an opportunity for those voices to finally be heard and to drive real, lasting change.” —Senator Mark Finchem.
A Vetoed Lifeline: HB 2256
On May 12, 2025, during the committee’s second hearing, Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed HB 2256, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Sen. Mark Finchem and Reps. Rachel Keshel and Lisa Fink. The bill sought to protect children from controversial “reunification therapy” and ensure court experts are qualified to recognize abuse. Consolidated under A.R.S. § 25-419, it aimed to curb judicial overreach and profit-driven practices. Hobbs claimed the bill risked “unintended consequences” and urged collaboration with courts to prioritize children’s interests. Finchem fired back: “This commonsense measure would have safeguarded Arizona’s vulnerable youth. It’s unconscionable that the governor upholds a system that silences victims and allows abuse under the guise of justice.” Social worker Monty Schultz and other critics argue the veto shields a system where therapeutic interventionists (TIs) charge up to $300 per session. Trained by the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), TIs (and other court appointees) often prioritize “parental alienation” claims, dismissing abuse and sparking conflict-of-interest concerns. The June 16 hearing offers a platform to demand stronger 2026 reforms and federal scrutiny from the DOJ and FBI.
Heart-wrenching recent cases that underscore the crisis:
Julie Valadez, jailed despite winning an appeal, denied justice by a biased trial court.
Taran Nolan, a quadriplegic mother, lost custody due to false allegations.
Tawny Minna-Grossman, a protective mother, separated from her children for shielding them from documented abuse.
Dr. Elena Belogolovsky, whose warnings were ignored before her son Adam’s preventable death in unsafe custody.
Whitney Decker, whose unheeded warnings preceded her ex-partner’s murder of their daughters, Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia.
May 12 Testimonies: A Broken System
The May 12, 2025, hearing drew parents, children and experts from across the U.S., exposing judicial overreach, profits-over-people driven corruption, and neglect of children’s safety and civil rights. Watch the recorded livestreams for April 14 and May 12. Key testimonies include:
Monty Schultz, social worker: Revealed TIs charge $300 per session, evade insurance and misuse “parental alienation” to dismiss abuse, with AFCC training fostering bias. “This system abuses children—it’s a grift.”
“Children are being abused in this system... it’s done as a grift for the court system.”
Viviana Miller and Claudia Reade, Texas: Described ex parte orders separating their daughter/granddaughter from them in a move to Arizona without due process, facing judicial conflicts and gag orders.
Miller: “I was never given due process... my daughter was forced to move... with our abuser.”
Reade: “Judges have immunity and no real accountability... not always based on the best interests of the child.”
Maggie, 15, Arizona: Felt like “property” in court, her safety concerns ignored, and pleaded for a children’s choice law.
“My brother and I have been trapped in the family court nightmare for most of our lives.”
“Children deserve to be heard... we should be protected, not punished.”
Haley Worrell, parent and law graduate: Recounted her son’s “medical kidnapping” by Arizona’s Department of Child Safety (DCS) after a misdiagnosed injury - DCS ignored requests for medical testing and punished Worrell with gag orders silencing her.
“Judge Anna Young... stated that this is not criminal court, we do not need proof to take your child away.”
“DCS told me... abandon my husband and testify against him... in exchange for my son, something morally I couldn’t do.”
“Our caseworker testified... ‘How I feel about you... is very different than how I was required to testify.’”
Lucy Vellema, parent and educator, California: Detailed her son’s “legal kidnapping” by false claims from minors’ counsel, enduring sexual abuse to see him and facing judicial retaliation.
“Minors counsel... provided false testimony... Judge Donald Gaffney legally kidnapped my son.”
“I endured rape for six months to see my son—as a mother, I would do anything.”
“Is it possible to make our judges accountable... not have immunity for abusing our children?”
Ryan Murray, parent and expert: Described a “carousel of collusion” blocking his fatherhood, with judges and TIs ignoring court orders, causing bankruptcy.
“I started with a judge by the name of Alison Bachus... she threw [the agreement] out, and I have not been [allowed to be] a father since.”
“I’m on the throes of not being able to pursue being a parent anymore because I’m gonna be bankrupt.”
“Civil rights of children are being overlooked for greed... this is happening daily in Arizona.”
Monica Ballard, parent and therapist: Linked court failures to rising Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), seriously undereducated court appointees, lawyers and judges, and advocated for mandatory domestic violence and child abuse training.
“My masters program curriculum in social work had one page on domestic violence - one page.”
“By the time I was done with the Family Court system, [my children] each now have a seven ACEs score.”
“I saw a profound lack of education with therapists, DCS workers, and judges.”
“Judges do not do any better than the average person on identifying an abuser—no better.”
“The nation needs to overhaul our family court system.”
Carrie Killebrew, Arizona: Revealed bias in Maricopa County, where her stepmother, a court-appointed TI, Kristen Alcott, swayed outcomes, and judges ignored evidence.
“Kristen Alcott... would tell me... my dad was a narcissist and was not capable of loving me.”
“Judge William Wingard... did not acknowledge a single piece of evidence... only [the therapist’s] opinion.”
“So Kristen Alcott was my former step mom —so the one that said, judges may order whatever they would like-- When my dad asked for a change of venue given her role in Maricopa County Family Court and conflict of interest, my Dad was ordered to pay almost $2,500 to her attorneys for even asking, and of course his motion was denied.”
“My brother pleaded and expressed fear of mental abuse from his mom — all being ignored even after [Kristin] had him arrested causing him to spend a night in juvie.”
These stories, highlight a system prioritizing profit over children’s safety, detailed in articles like:
When a Mother Protects Her Children, the System Puts Her in Jail)
Update: Legal Appeal Launched in the Case of Taran Nolan)
‘He keeps getting more unstable’: Wenatchee mother raised alarms before daughters found dead
OCDA Ignores Good Cause Law, Family Court Violates Due Process in Tawny Minna Grossman Case)
The June 16 hearing is open to the public and live-streamed at azleg.gov, the hearing offers a platform for families to be heard, drive change and urges national legislators, the DOJ, FBI, and district attorneys to address this crisis and act to protect the victims.
Join the June 16 Hearing
Date: June 16, 2025
Time: 9 a.m.–5 p.m. (recess at noon, reconvening tentatively at 2 p.m.)
Location: Senate Hearing Room 2, Arizona State Senate, 1700 W. Washington St., Phoenix
Livestream: Watch at azleg.gov
Agenda: Public testimony to shape 2026 reforms, with updates from Senator Finchem
Note: Testimony becomes public record, accessible via public records requests. Contact Kim Quintero (kquintero@azleg.gov) for details. See press release here.
Call to Action
“Every story shared contributes to a clearer picture of where the system is falling short,” said Senator Finchem.
The June 16 hearing, led by Senator Finchem, is a critical moment to amplify victims’ voices.
Testify to shape reform, watch at azleg.gov to demand accountability, and urge national legislators, DOJ, and FBI to investigate judicial immunity and profit-driven abuses.
From a child’s fear to a mother’s loss, victims’ voices are rising. Contact your representatives, reach out to media, and vote to protect children. Whistleblowers and victims, contact this reporter at juliea005@proton.me. Together, we can ignite a national movement for justice.
About the Author
Julie M. Anderson-Holburn is a California-based investigative journalist exposing family court corruption. Published on NewsBreak, Substack, and The Family Court Circus, her work is featured by the Center for Judicial Excellence and National Safe Parents. Contact her at juliea005@proton.me.
This article was supported by readers like you. Thank you.
Together, we can ignite a national movement and create lasting change.
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What do you think about holding judges to the same standards of us - demand psychological testing to ensure they are mentally capable of being impartial and that they aren't on drugs. https://chng.it/NTPvVW5yjy
Thanks for your diligent coverage and reporting!
What good these hearings will actually do remains to be seen. As much as I want them to be a landmrk event and a turning point in history, I doubt anything will truly come of it, much less bring about any real change
Governor Katie Hobbs’ veto of HB2256 drives that point home and reveals just how deep the connections and corruption run. These judges act with impunity not just because of the immunity they’ve been granted, but because of the long chain of backlinks they have throughout the system. They know they have key people protecting their backs. They know they’re safe.
The entire Family Court system is a farce. The only viable option I see for parents going through divorce is to just stay out of Family Court altogether. Cut off their supply chain. Let them shrivel and die. Death by attrition - a fate well deserved. Comeuppance.