Citizens Demand Investigation into Orange County Family Court: Petition Launched and State Action Urged
The Case of Taran Strong: The Mother at the Heart of Orange County’s Family Court Scandal
Citizens across California are demanding urgent action against what they describe as rampant corruption inside Orange County’s family law division. At the center of public scrutiny is the case of Nolan v. Nolan (Case No. 22D004564)—where a quadriplegic mother, Taran Nolan, (Taran Strong) lost custody of her children under highly controversial circumstances.
In response, two major citizen initiatives are now underway:
1. Petition to Investigate Orange County Family Court Practices
Citizens launched a public petition demanding a full and transparent investigation into the practices of Orange County Superior Court, Family Law Division.
The petition specifically calls for scrutiny of the Nolan v. Nolan case, and for review of judicial decisions, custody evaluators, minors’ counsel, and court procedures involved.
Sign and share the petition here:
Demand a Thorough Investigation into Practices of OC Superior Court, CA - Family Court
Important: Signing the petition does not require a donation. Contributions collected by Change.org support the platform’s operational costs and are not affiliated with the Nolan case.
2. Advocates Call for a California Ad Hoc Committee Hearing and Federal Investigation
Inspired by Arizona’s April 14, 2025 Joint Ad Hoc Committee on Family Court Orders, advocates urge California to establish a similar independent legislative forum to expose systemic failures and investigate judicial practices.
Advocates encourage Californians to contact:
Governor Gavin Newsom (Contact form: link, Phone: 916-445-2841)
Attorney General Rob Bonta (Contact form: link, Phone: 916-210-6276)
On April 18, 2025, a formal written request was submitted to California Senators and Assemblymembers urging the immediate creation of an open Ad Hoc Committee on Family Court Orders and Practices, modeled after Arizona’s successful forum.
Citizens demand that the Special Investigations Team (SIT) within the Attorney General’s office immediately initiate a full, transparent investigation into Orange County Family Court, including the Nolan v. Nolan case and broader patterns of misconduct.
Should the state decline to act, advocates are calling for federal intervention to safeguard constitutional rights and restore public trust.
Timeline of Citizen Actions:
April 18, 2025:
Formal written request submitted to California Senators and Assemblymembers, urging creation of an Ad Hoc Committee on Family Court Orders and Practices.April 26, 2025:
Release of public investigative article on Nolan v. Nolan.April 27, 2025:
Public petition launched on Change.org:
Demand a Thorough Investigation into Practices of OC Superior Court, CA - Family CourtApril 28, 2025:
Release of citizen call for Ad Hoc Committee hearing and federal investigation.
📢 Opportunity to Speak Before Arizona’s Ad Hoc Committee
Families impacted by family court abuses — including court-ordered "therapeutic interventions," custody decisions, and judicial misconduct — now have a chance to speak directly to lawmakers.
Families impacted by family court abuses — including court-ordered "therapeutic interventions," custody decisions, and judicial misconduct — now have a chance to speak directly to lawmakers.
The Arizona Senate’s Ad Hoc Committee on Family Court Orders invites survivors and advocates to submit experience summaries and request to testify at future hearings.
🗓️ The next hearing is scheduled for May 12, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM
📍 Location: Arizona State Senate Building, 1700 W. Washington Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85007
📺 Remote broadcast will be available here: Arizona Senate Livestream (update with May 12 link when available)
To request to speak — whether you live in Arizona or another state:
Contact Alayna Kowaleski, Deputy Director of Communications, Arizona Senate Republicans
Office: 602-926-3905
Twitter: @azsenaterepublicans
Web: azsenaterepublicans.comSubmit your Experience Summary here:
Court-Ordered Therapeutic Intervention Experience Form
This is a historic opportunity to document systemic failures and bring survivor voices directly to policymakers — both for Arizona and as a model for California and other states.
Why This Matters
Verdicts corrupted by fraud, violations of due process, and the suppression of critical evidence devastate families and destroy trust in the judicial system. Judicial corruption undermines not just individual lives—it undermines the very foundation of democracy itself. Transparency, accountability, and constitutional protections are not optional—they are essential.
Rampant judicial misconduct — and the systemic failure to address it — cannot be excused by simply telling families to "file an appeal."
Trial court abuses leave families trapped, because appeals are cost-prohibitive, legally complex, and often inaccessible.
Accountability must exist at the trial court level.
Justice delayed through endless appeals is justice denied—and families suffer irreparable harm while waiting.
Appeals are not a substitute for a fair trial.
Appeals are not a cure for a corrupted courtroom or courthouses.
Accountability must start where injustice begins: at the trial court level.
Further independent coverage of the Nolan v. Nolan case and other Orange County cases can be found linked at the end of this article.
Clarifying the Attorney General’s Role
While the California Attorney General cannot unilaterally change state laws, the AG holds critical enforcement powers.
Under California law, the Attorney General must:
Enforce existing laws enacted by the Legislature;
Investigate credible allegations of public corruption, judicial misconduct, civil rights violations, and systemic abuses;
Defend the public’s right to transparent, fair, and constitutional processes.
California — now the fourth-largest economy in the world, and often seen as a national leader in progressive governance — has fallen behind in protecting families, especially the most vulnerable: the children, from systemic abuses within the family court system.
While Arizona has already convened part one of a five part bipartisan Ad Hoc Committee to investigate systemic failures, California’s leaders have yet to take comparable action.
Survivors, families, and advocates are asking:
If Arizona can move swiftly to protect children and families, why can't California?
When will California lead again — not just economically, but morally and legally, where it matters most: safeguarding its most vulnerable?
📣 Join the Movement:
Sign the petition.
Make your calls.
Demand justice, transparency, and accountability for all families.
Further independent coverage of the Nolan v. Nolan case and other Orange County cases can be found here:
Judged, Gagged, Separated, Silenced: The Taran Nolan Case
Injustice in OC: mom of tar's road to recovery faces unjust & prolonged separation from her kids
Update: “Tar’s Road to Recovery” Mom Bullied by OC Minors’ Counsel in Fight Over Special Needs Trust
Orange County Judges Block Public and Media from Court Hearings
Weaponized Gag Orders: How an OC Judge Is Silencing a Quadriplegic Mother’s Fight for Justice
OCDA Ignores Good Cause Law, Family Court Violates Due Process in Tawny Minna Grossman Case
Judicial Misconduct in OC? Judge’s Threats Against Mother Over Media Coverage Become Reality
OC Man Charged with 5 Felony Counts of Molestation: Family Court and CPS Ignored Reports for Years
The victims of Jessica St. Clair, part three
California Judges: The Good, the Bad, and the… San Joaquin County, Part Two
I, too, am a victim of the Orange County Family Law system. I filed for attorney’s fees in April 2023. Our case was assigned to Commissioner Robert Kholar, who has now dragged this matter out for over two years.
This followed multiple continuances requested by my ex’s attorney to intentionally stall the case. We finally began hearings in December of 2022, only for Commissioner Kholar to suggest we vacate the private judge after sevearl hearings so that he could rule. After several costly and exhausting hearing after the attempts to vacate the private judge, he finally resumed the case — only to side with my ex’s attorney after a year and a 1/2 of hearings, claiming my attorney should have filed within six months of the final judgment from the private judge for fees instead of letting it go and file substitution then trying to collect.
This ordeal has added at least $150,000 in unnecessary legal fees to the $160,000 existing and countless all-day hearings that achieved nothing but further financial and emotional damage. At each hearing, he made everyone remain in court for a full day, only to delay resolution.
As of now, it’s still sitting on submission with no ruling in sight. It has been one of the most painful, traumatic experiences of my life, extending what’s now been a 10-year divorce battle that began in May 2016.
This process has devastated my life and the lives of my three beautiful children. The corruption, inefficiency, and lack of compassion in the Orange County Family Court system is beyond words — and no family deserves to endure this.