Maryland Appellate Judge Beachley Retires, Opening Key Judicial Appointment for Gov. Moore
By MDBayNews Staff The retirement of Judge Donald E. Beachley from the Appellate Court of Maryland marks a turning point...
Judges
Maryland’s Judicial Discipline System Shows Rare Transparency as Virginia Moves Backward
By Michel Phillips | MDBayNews As neighboring Virginia retreats into judicial secrecy, Maryland stands out in the...
So You Want to Be a Maryland Magistrate? A Step-by-Step Guide to Letting Criminals Run Free
Have you ever thought, “Gee, I’d love to have the power to release violent offenders back onto the streets, but I...
Maryland’s “No-Law-Degree-Required” Magistrates: Because Why Should Justice Require Actual Lawyers?
Right now, millions of people are stumbling across a disturbing fact: in Maryland—and many other states—you don’t...
Shadows on the Bench: Maryland’s Judicial Campaign Finance Transparency Problem
When Americans think about judicial integrity, they expect judges to be impartial arbiters of the law. But what happens...
Judges Aren’t Invincible: How Maryland Voters Can Keep the Bench Accountable
For too long, Maryland’s judiciary has operated in a climate of comfort and complacency. Judges—whether they sit on the...
Maryland’s Long Shadow of Corruption: How History Shapes Distrust in Family Courts
The idea that Maryland’s family courts may be tainted by bias, favoritism, or even outright corruption cannot be...
Child Support & “Double Dipping” – The Absurd Economics of Erasing a Parent
By Michael Phillips In the warped theater of Anne Arundel County Family Court, the Reichert v. Hornbeck saga has reached a...
Maryland’s New Family Law Loophole: Erasing Parents Without Evidence
By Michael Phillips In Reichert v. Hornbeck, the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County has set one of the most dangerous...
Maryland’s Family Courts Are Failing Families: Here’s Why Reform Can’t Wait
By Michael Phillips In theory, Maryland’s family courts are supposed to be the guardians of justice for families in...
“Who’s Protecting the Children?”: John Myrick Calls for Family Court Investigation in Maryland
By | July 2025 In Maryland, it’s easier to garnish a father’s wages than it is to guarantee him a phone call with his...
Judges for Sale: The Quiet Power of ADR and the Revolving Door
By Michael Phillips Justice is supposed to be blind—not for sale at $300 an hour.But in the world of family court,...
Justice Denied: The Impeachment Files (Part 2)
By Michael Phillips “No one elected them. No one regulates them. And yet they sit behind closed doors shaping the justice...
Justice Denied: The Impeachment Files
By Michael Phillips “Equal justice cannot coexist with private galas in our highest court while citizen complaints are...
Open Letter: A Year and a Half of Silence — And Still No Justice
By Michael Phillips For the past 18 months, I’ve been denied the basic right to see my son. Not because I’m a danger....
Judge Lisa Kemler’s Monday Exit: A Strategic Retirement or an Escape from Accountability?
By Michael Phillips On Monday, Judge Lisa Kemler officially retired from the Alexandria Circuit Court after more than two...
Judicial Injustice in Suburbia: How Judge Bibi Berry and Montgomery County Family Court Became Every Father’s Worst Nightmare
Montgomery County, Maryland—the affluent, progressive suburb of Washington, D.C.—likes to boast about its high-ranking...
The Courtroom That Erased Fatherhood: Four Father’s Days Without a Word
By Michael Phillips This past Sunday marked the fourth Father’s Day that Jeff Reichert spent without hearing from his...
Every Motion Denied: A Father’s Day Message from the Broken Heart of Maryland Family Court
By Michael Phillips They say to take it to court.They say to trust the system.They say if you follow the rules, the rules...
Where Is Grant Reichert? A Father’s Plea, A System’s Silence
By Michael Phillips "Where is my son?" That question—raw, desperate, unrelenting—haunts Jeff Reichert every day. As...
“Justice on Hold”: Maryland Court Puts Child Victims Act Cases on Pause Amid System Mismanagement
In a move that's raising eyebrows across Maryland, a Baltimore judge has hit pause on over 1,250 civil child sexual abuse...
The Pain That Never Ends: The Invisible Grief of Alienated Parents
It is a unique kind of grief—one that never fades, never heals, and never finds peace. It is the grief of a parent who...
A Voice for Justice: How Jeff Reichert Turned to an ADA Advocate to Defend His Rights and Protect His Son
In a family court system increasingly criticized for opacity, jurisdictional gamesmanship, and disregard for the rights of...
Buried by Design: What Is Maryland Family Court Hiding in the Reichert Case?
I didn’t expect to be here. When I wrote my first piece on the Reichert v. Hornbeck custody case, I was just trying to...
The Case Maryland Wants to Bury: Inside Reichert v. Hornbeck
Now that the initial shock has worn off, it’s time to roll the sleeves up and start taking a deeper dive into the...