Family Court 'hellhole'

To the editor:

Madison County constituents beware, for you are in grave danger. The tarnished reputation of the Madison County judiciary and attorney abuse of power and ethics are not only present in the well-publicized class action cases, but have also spilled over into the most sacred of courts -- the Family Court.

Make no mistake, the "judicial hell-hole" has taken root in the family courtrooms of Madison County. My case in point should make any law-abiding, hard-working, responsible and loving father/mother shudder at the blatant disregard for judicial fairness and reason, the abrogation of state statutes, and yes, even the U.S. Constitution.

Over the past few years this constituent has been forced to participate in a legal battle for himself, and his childrens' lives and their future.

The battle, still ongoing, has been financially, emotionally and physically draining. It has almost cost me my job and reputation.

Finally, after nearly losing all my personal belongings (with the help of unethical attorneys and unreasonable judges), and surmounting financial constraints, I was forced to represent myself pro se during an entire day of trial.

After the trial my fate and the fate of my children were decided in a "backroom deal." At this time, trial testimony, statutes, and ethics were disregarded and/or ignored. And, as a pro se constituent, I was not even given the respect to participate.

Consequently, my only recourse was to hire another attorney and file a petition to the Illinois Court of Appeals. The spectacle at the Mount Vernon Courtroom could only be seen to be believed! And because of that spectacle the Appellate Court used its "abuse of power" by denying this constituent the the very audio transcript of that proceeding.

Obviously, my motion for a rehearing was denied. As a result, I once again found myself pro se petitioning for a leave-to-appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court.

Even the highest court in the state sided with ill-reasoned lower court decisions, and as a result, petition denied.

The high court's decision ignored many of the state statutes, and thus the protection which one receives by those very statutes. For if the court abuses and/or neglects a parent, they abuse the children.

Why are our elected officials sitting idly by allowing this abuse by our courts? It is time that they are held accountable by their constituents.

As in a recent letter-to-the-editor, "So help me judge," today's customary oath is quite hypocritical, as my supposed Christian "ex" outright perjured herself in courtroom testimony, and in the verification pages of her own divorce petition.

As a friend of mine once said, "The one who lies the most in the courtroom wins."

Yet, is the family court here to produce winners and losers?

Do not conclude that this is a letter written by a parent dissatisfied with a judgment, for it only serves as the "tip-of-the-iceberg" regarding the state of the judiciary in Illinois, and the mockery of the state legislature (past and present), whom are the framers of the statutes of this state.

Consider one of the many statutes ignored by the courts of this state in my particular case. No court could even apply the mandatory union dues and income generation expenses when calculating net monthly income. I can only compare my experience in this county and state judiciary as to the Nixon Administration's in which Nixon ruled in direct conflict to the law.

To quote James Madison, "The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty." The attributes of James Madison seem to be lost only to a statue on the first floor of the Madison County Court Building.

On any given day, in my profession, I can be responsible for the lives of hundreds of people, possibly even members of this judiciary. Yet, this same judiciary does not even trust this parent to share joint custody of his children and the legal benefits this would provide myself and my children.

For if the judiciary of Madison County and/or the state of Illinois are careless in their work they wake up unscathed, some even receive promotions. Yet, if I am careless in my work hundreds of body-bags are ordered.

My case will soon be referred back to the Madison County Courthouse, whereas this judiciary has an opportunity to withhold the state statutes, using judicial fairness and reason, or they can continue the abuse of this parent and consequently neglecting the childen.

Maybe, there are a handful of judges in Madison County whom are just and ethical, however I have yet to have the pleasure of their benefit.

Quoting a portion of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Consitution of the United States of America, "Nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law; nor to deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of these laws."

John Roman
Troy