Maryland Ranks Last in Court Reporter Pay. No One Is Tracking What That Costs Litigants.
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews On May 26, 2026, New York's Court of Appeals confronted a transcript so defective it was...
Tag: Family Court
Maryland Democrats Respond to Baltimore School ICE Arrest — But the Facts They’re Omitting Matter
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews When ICE agents detained two people outside a Baltimore elementary school during morning...
Maryland’s Protective Order System Has Failed Before. It Will Again.
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Robert MacMeekin drove his daughter to a Baltimore County courthouse on Saturday morning to...
She Slipped the Cuffs, Fought Two Officers, Drove Impaired — Then Walked Away Clean. Years Later, Under Oath, She Said She Didn’t Remember.
A deposition transcript obtained by this outlet reveals that Sarah Hornbeck admitted under oath to a...
Reality Check: Who Is Maryland Government Actually Built For?
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland is often described as a well-run state. Strong economy.Highly educated...
Reality Check: Maryland Looks Functional—Until You Need It
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland looks like a well-run state. On paper, it checks every box: strong schools, high...
The Case That Wouldn’t End
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland’s judiciary often presents itself as a model of stability, professionalism, and...
Montgomery County’s Circuit Court Election Is a Blindfolded Vote
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews In Montgomery County, one of the most powerful offices on the ballot is also one of the...
Baltimore’s Protective Order Machine: When Allegations Become Weapons
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews When the state can take your freedom, your reputation, and your livelihood based on a...
How Maryland Family Courts Can Build Case Records Without a Parent Present
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews | Father & Co. A recent federal disability-rights ruling involving a Maryland parent...
Federal Court Grants ADA Accommodations as Maryland Family Court Proceedings Continue Without Disabled Parent
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews A recent federal court ruling granting disability accommodations to a Maryland parent has...
Maryland Lawmakers Push “Child Protection” Bills—But Gaps in Custody Law Remain Unaddressed
Maryland lawmakers are advancing a new round of child protection legislation during the 2026 General Assembly session,...
Maryland Lawmakers Move to Codify Standards for Custody Evaluators
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews As the 2026 legislative session gets underway, lawmakers in Annapolis are once again taking...
Baltimore County Lawsuit Alleges Illegal Protective Orders and Years-Long Separation of Father and Son
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews A civil lawsuit filed on December 2, 2025, in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County...
Pennsylvania Custody Exchange Ends in Tragedy, Raising Questions About Family Court Safety Failures
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews UPPER DARBY, Pa. — A post-Christmas child custody exchange turned deadly Friday afternoon...
Maryland’s Transcript Trap: How Miller v. Smith and Feng v. Chen Expose Access-to-Justice Failures
When Americans think about “access to justice,” most assume it means having a fair chance to appeal if a court gets...
Maryland’s Outdated Wiretap Law Is Hurting Victims — And 2026 May Finally Bring Change
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland is one of just a few states still clinging to a strict two-party consent wiretap...
Justice Cannot Be Blind to Invisible Disabilities
By Michael PhillipsOriginally published in The Daily Record, October 24, 2025 When Congress passed the Americans with...
Friday Night Lights, Dark Family Secrets: How a Father Who Won Was Erased — And Who Profited
On an August night in Prince George’s County, Maryland, a high school football game at Bishop McNamara should have been a...
The Gatekeepers No One Elected: How Maryland’s District Court Commissioners Shape Justice Before a Judge Ever Looks
Maryland’s justice system runs on a 24/7 hinge: District Court commissioners. These are not judges and, by law, they...
Maryland Punishes Parents Harder Than Criminals — And It’s a National Shame
In Maryland today, parents seeking to see their children face harsher repercussions than actual criminals. Violent...
Montgomery County Circuit Court: Where Poverty and Fatherhood Are Crimes
By Michael Phillips Montgomery County, Maryland, is often portrayed as one of the wealthiest, most progressive counties in...
Family Court as Legalized Child Trafficking: The Case of Reichert v. Hornbeck
America has spent decades wagging its finger at the rest of the world about “human trafficking,” while right here at...
Conover v. Conover (2016): How Maryland Courts Redefined Parenthood at the Expense of Parents
In 2016, Maryland’s highest court handed down Conover v. Conover, a decision that upended custody law by recognizing...
35 Years of the ADA: A Civil Rights Law in Name, Not in Practice
By Michael Phillips Next week, America will mark 35 years since the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act...
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,...
Let the Child Be Heard: How Virginia’s New Law Empowers Truth and Justice in Family Court
By Michael Phillips “A voice silenced is a truth denied.” For far too long, that’s been the quiet tragedy playing out...
Maryland’s Gun Violence Dashboard: A Step Toward Transparency, or a Political Tool in the Making?
By Michael Phillips On June 26, 2025, the Maryland Department of Health unveiled its new Gun Violence Data Dashboard, a...
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...
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...
Maryland Ranks 5th Most Expensive State—And That’s Before Wes Moore’s New Fees Kick In
Maryland has just been ranked the fifth most expensive state in the country based on monthly household bills, according to...
Maryland Codifies Child Custody Factors — But Will Anything Really Change?
By Michael Phillips In a move hailed by some as progress and by others as political theater, Maryland Governor Wes Moore...
This Memorial Day, Let’s Remember All the Battles — Including the Ones Fought at Home
By Michael Phillips Memorial Day is a sacred time of reflection. We pause to honor the men and women who died in service to...
The Revolving Door of Injustice: How The McCammon Group and Juridical Solutions Profit Off the Broken System They Helped Create
In a world where family court and civil litigation have become synonymous with prolonged suffering and endless bills, a...