Judge accuses credible domestic violence victim of lying
A District Court judge recently became irritated during a temporary protective order hearing and accused a traumatized petitioner of lying. In her petition, Bridget [name changed] told a credible and all-too-common story: “He was drunk and I had told him I didn’t want to be with him and he said the only way we will […]
Rate at which judges tell respondents to turn in guns varies widely
It’s the law. When a final protective order is issued in Maryland, all respondents must turn in any guns they possess to the Sheriff’s Office for the duration of the order. The rate at which District Court judges are telling respondents to turn in their guns, however, varies dramatically. One judge last year told respondents […]
New outreach campaign to victims
A new County outreach campaign to victims in Montgomery County Maryland is placing large signs on buses and in bus shelters reaching out to anyone suffering from domestic violence. The ads ask “Are you afraid of your partner?” Ads are in both English and Spanish and share emergency crisis phone numbers. County Executive Leggett as […]
District Court judge fails to warn respondents to turn in firearms
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department has many important jobs. One of their most important tasks is making sure that respondents who possess firearms turn them into the Sheriff’s Office for the length of their final protective order. Judges also have an important role to play in reminding respondents of the gun turn-in requirement at the […]
Partner gun assault highlights key policy problems
A Queen Anne’s County man was arrested this week on charges of attempted murder following an alleged physical assault that included threats to kill the survivor with a shotgun. The woman’s partner fired at or near her, but she was not hit by the shot. The victim suffered repeated physical assault for almost two hours […]
No immigration enforcement in courthouses!
There should be no immigration enforcement in courthouses if we expect domestic victims to come forward to get the legal protection that can stop their abuse. American Bar Association recently urged Congress to add courthouses to the “sensitive locations” list that guides immigration enforcement of undocumented workers. This policy is critical if domestic violence survivors […]
Link between domestic violence & child abuse
Wow. As Executive Director of Court Watch, a lot of articles come across my desk. But this one is a stunner. I’m just reading an article that analyzes data from the National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence. The authors find that more than 1/3 of youth who witnessed partner violence had also been maltreated […]
New Court Watch report looks at emergency financial aid for DV survivors
Court Watch Montgomery has a new report out – and the news isn’t good for domestic violence survivors and their children in Maryland. The new report, “Critical scaffolding: strengthening Maryland’s transitional financial support for domestic violence survivors and their children,” identifies numerous barriers to survivors getting the emergency financial aid that they need temporarily to […]
Judge uses best practices to increase survivor safety
Numerous “best practices” were on display in domestic violence criminal court yesterday. When survivors participate in criminal trials they deserve nothing less. One case on yesterday’s criminal domestic violence docket in Silver Spring involved a defendant who pled guilty to violating a protective order. He had approached the mother of his child despite a final […]
Don’t miss these great webinar trainings!
The Battered Women’s Justice Project puts on lots of high quality domestic violence webinars that can improve the way we work to end domestic violence in Montgomery County or elsewhere. Consider signing up: New Research on Women Veterans and Intimate Partner Violence – July 27, 2017, 2 pm-3:30 pm Economic Advocacy IS DV Legal Advocacy […]