News
See Bethesda Magazine piece on how Court Watch began
If you’re interested in reading about how Court Watch began, check out Steve Robert’s column in the March/April 2018 edition of Bethesda Magazine, On Her Watch. When Court Watch first monitored protective order cases in 2011, judges told only 30% of abusers who received final protective orders that they must…
Samantha Bee takes a hard look at domestic violence & guns – and uses Court Watch’s study to do it
Samantha Bee took a hard look last night at domestic violence and guns – and she used Court Watch’s “Abusers with Guns” study to highlight the critical role judges play. We’re about 3 min, 50 seconds in.
Safe Passage Center is fully open – and it looks great!
The Safe Passage Center is now open for both monitored child exchanges and supervised visits for families experiencing domestic violence. The Center can reduce stress for the entire family by providing a healing environment. The Center is open: Tuesday 5:00pm – 8:00pm Wednesday 5:00pm – 8:00pm Friday …
Violence doesn’t stop judge from giving father “tie-breaking vote” about children
Recently we’ve been spending some time interviewing domestic violence survivors who want to talk about their experiences in court. Some came to court to obtain a protective order, others to give testimony in a criminal case. Some participated in a custody or divorce case. Their stories help us understand…
Judge accuses credible domestic violence petitioner 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…
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…