Lawyer and Sworn Temporary Judge Richard Sokol: Alleged Attorney Misconduct, Moral Turpitude Acts

From the description of the Scribd document embedded at the end of this post: 

Richard Sokol, Sokol & Bristow LLP, divorce attorney Sacramento lawyer complete transcript of court hearing where Sokol client gave false testimony attempting to get a domestic violence restraining order. Sokol's client made false claims in court filings and in court testimony.

As an officer of the court, Sokol had a duty to ensure his client did not make false claims in court filings or testify falsely. Judge Thomas Cecil denied Sokol's request for a domestic violence restraining order.

Judge Matthew Gary Misconduct: Illegal Arrest and Assault of Disabled Pro Per Video Gets National Coverage - Generates Record View Count at SFCN YouTube Channel

Leaked Sacramento Superior Court Security Video Goes Viral After Blurb by National Legal News Site Above the Law  

This blurb by the national legal news website Above the Law significantly spiked the view count of the whistleblower leaked courtroom security video posted at the Sacramento Family Court News YouTube Channel. 

A whistleblower leaked courtroom security video posted on YouTube by Sacramento Family Court News has logged a record shattering 800 views in less than a week. The view count is attributed to New York-based legal news website Above the Law coverage of our Aug. 21 article, which included the embedded video. By comparison, most videos at the SFCN YouTube Channel generally take a year or more to clock 800 views. SFCN Google Analytics statistical data show that the bulk of the Above the Law referrals originated at East Coast law offices in New York, Washington D.C., Boston, and Chicago. The Washington D.C. readers also included employees at federal government agencies, according to Google. The graphic security tape records the illegal courtroom arrest and assault of disabled, self-represented litigant and family court reform activist Robert Saunders. 

Controversial Judge Matthew J. Gary, responsible for ordering the unlawful arrest, has not been disciplined or otherwise held accountable by the Commission on Judicial Performance, the state agency responsible for the oversight of California judges. 

Click to visit Sacramento Family Court News on: Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Scribd, Vimeo, and Twitter. For additional reporting on the people and issues in this post, click the corresponding labels below:

Government Whistleblower Leaks Courtroom Security Video of Illegal Arrest of Disabled, Unrepresented "Pro Per" Parent

Judge Matthew Gary Abuse of Authority Alleged 

A startling courthouse security video leaked by a government whistleblower records the illegal 2009 assault and arrest of indigent, disabled pro per litigant and family court reform activist Robert Saunders. During a March 9, 2009 court hearing, Judge Matthew Gary ordered the self-represented Saunders arrested and jailed for contempt of court.

Two outside, independent judges who later reviewed the incident determined that both the contempt charge and arrest were illegal.

One of the two reviewing judges also issued an order removing Gary from the case for bias and violating state contempt law. The new video leak appears to reinforce the review findings, showing Saunders sitting passively at the courtroom counsel table until a painful "control hold" is applied to his arm by a deputy sheriff.

When Saunders reacts to the pain, a wrestling match ensues until additional deputies arrive to subdue and apply handcuffs to the illegally arrested victim. The pro per is then shuffled off to the county jail through a rear exit in the courtroom. 

Saunders is 5' 8" tall, weighs 162 pounds, relies on a cane to walk, and, at the time of the arrest, was 57-years-old, according to the police report from the incident.

To continue reading, click Read more >> below:

Judge Pro Tem Attorney Fredrick Cohen Yolo County Judge Candidacy Targeted by Court Reform Advocates

Yolo County Judge Candidate Rick Cohen Declared Unfit for Judicial Office by Family Court Reform Group

Sacramento Family Court reform advocates have initiated a campaign to defeat divorce attorney Fredrick Cohen's campaign to be elected to a vacant judge seat in Yolo County. The opposition campaign was launched with this post at the Davis Patch website.

A group of family court reform advocates have launched a campaign to defeat Sacramento County Bar Association Family Law Executive Committee officer Fredrick Cohen's candidacy for election to the Yolo County bench. Late last month, Cohen announced he would be a candidate for a Yolo County Superior Court seat being vacated by Judge Stephen L. Mock, who will retire next January. The watchdog opposition group asserts that Cohen's conduct as a family court attorney, SCBA officer, and Sacramento County Superior Court temporary judge indicates that he lacks the ethical integrity required to be a judge. 

The group says they plan to use social media and other online sources to disseminate information about Cohen's misconduct as an attorney, including the judge pro tem lawyer's failed federal court attempt to extract $17,000 in attorney fees from an indigent, unrepresented litigant. Sacramento Family Court News previously reported that Cohen violated the Code of Judicial Ethics by using his status as a judge pro tem for advertising and promotional purposes. After our investigative report was published, Cohen removed from his website the references to his temporary judge service. The watchdog group kicked off the campaign against Cohen with a post at the Davis Patch website. Click here to view the post.

Click to visit Sacramento Family Court News on: Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Scribd, Vimeo, and Twitter. For additional reporting on the people and issues in this post, click the corresponding labels below:    

Judge Thadd Blizzard Controversy: Court Order Authorizes Criminal Child Abduction for Judge Pro Tem Attorney Richard Sokol - Whistleblower Leak

A whistleblower leaked court reporter transcript records Judge Thadd Blizzard approving a
criminal child abduction by a client of part-time judge divorce lawyer Richard Sokol. 

Tuesday Document Dump

A whistleblower leaked court reporter transcript obtained by Sacramento Family Court News reveals that Judge Thadd Blizzard last November retroactively endorsed an unlawful out-of-state "move away" and child abduction at the request of local judge pro tem attorney Richard Sokol.  The transcript is embedded at the end of this article.

The unprecedented ruling went against San Francisco attorney Archibald Cunningham, who the transcript reflects was dumbfounded by the decision.

The bizarre chain-of-events began after Cunningham's disabled client, Robert Saunders, filed paperwork seeking child visitation under an existing temporary custody order. After the visitation paperwork was lodged, Sokol's client, April Berger, abruptly moved to Hawaii with the parents' twin daughters without the permission of the court.

To continue reading, and to view the complete court reporter transcript, click Read more >> below...

Sacramento Superior Court Judge & Attorney Misconduct: New York Times Reviews Divorce Corp Documentary Featuring Four Sacramento Court Cases

New York Times Calls Family Court "A Land of Diabolical Lawyers" in Divorce Corp Review

In a review of Divorce Corp, the New York Times observed that "Protracted divorces sap couples' resources even in amicable separations and, as in other areas of legal practice, the lawyers seem to have an incentive to draw out the conflict." Four family court cases from Sacramento County are featured in the movie.

Divorce Corp, a documentary film featuring four Sacramento Family Court cases opens nationwide in select cities today. The movie "exposes the corrupt and collusive industry of family law in the United States," and is expected to follow the release trajectory typical for a documentary: A short theatrical run in major cities followed by DVD release, Redbox, Netflix, and screenings on network and cable TV. The production's nationwide search for the most egregious examples of family court corruption and collusion resulted in Sacramento court cases dominating the film. Local litigants Ulf Carlsson, Andrew Karres, Robert Saunders, Mike Newdow - and the nearby Nevada County Elena Haskins case - are featured in the film, with a special emphasis on the notorious Carlsson case. Sixth District Court of Appeal Presiding Justice Conrad L. Rushing described Sacramento Judge Peter McBrien's conduct in the Carlsson divorce as a "judicial reign of terror." 

To continue reading, click Read more >> below...

Sacramento County Court Corruption: Judge Pro Tem Attorney Caught in Cover Up of Judge Misconduct - Shifts Blame to Disabled Victim of Illegal Courtroom Arrest

Part-Time Judge Gives False Testimony, Blames Victim for Judge Matthew Gary Misconduct and Abuse of Disabled, Unrepresented Pro Per Litigant

The Historical Revisionism of Sworn Temporary Judges Richard Sokol and Elaine Van Beveren - Part 2
A Special News and Analysis Series by Pelican Briefed

This is Part 2 of our series "The Historical Revisionism of Sworn Temporary Judges
Richard Sokol and Elaine Van Beveren." To view Part 1, click here.

A court reporter transcript obtained by Sacramento Family Court News records divorce attorney Richard Sokol making demonstrably false statements at a court hearing before Judge Thadd Blizzard. 

Sokol's apparent motive was to demonize and discredit the opposing party in a family court child custody dispute. Sokol is a Sacramento County Superior Court sworn temporary judge and Sacramento Bar Association Family Law Section member. 

Sokol is caught on court reporter transcript giving a false account of a prior court hearing before controversial Judge Matthew Gary in the same case. At the previous hearing, Gary had Robert Saunders, the disabled, unrepresented pro per opposing party, arrested and jailed for contempt of court. 

Saunders also was charged with resisting arrest by Gary's courtroom bailiff, Sacramento County Sheriff's Department Deputy J. Strong. As Sacramento Family Court News reported in 2012, two outside, independent judges who later reviewed the incident found that Gary was at fault, and cleared Saunders of all charges. 

Gary was involuntarily disqualified, and banned from hearing further proceedings in the case by San Joaquin Superior Court Judge Xapuri Villapudua. 

To continue reading, click Read more >> below: 

Sacramento Superior Court Corruption: Part-Time Judge Caught on Transcript Lying About Illegal Courtroom Arrest of Disabled Parent

Judge Pro Tem Divorce Lawyer Caught in Cover Up of Judge Matthew Gary Misconduct 

The Historical Revisionism of Sworn Temporary Judges Richard Sokol and Elaine Van Beveren - Part 1
A Special News and Analysis Series by Pelican Briefed

One form of historical revisionism is the “illigitmate distortion of the historical record such that certain events appear in a more or less favorable light,” according to Wikipedia. The distortion of history to deny historical crimes is sometimes called negationism. 

Historical revisionism is often associated with after-the-fact justifications for, or denial of war crimes, such as the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide. 

Some countries have laws making it a crime to disseminate revisionist material, such as Holocaust denial propaganda. Revisionist tactics include deception, denial and trivialization. 

A court reporter transcript obtained by Sacramento Family Court News shows that the same tactics have recently been used in Sacramento Family Court by judge pro tem attorneys Richard Sokol and Elaine Van Beveren. Van Beveren currently also is an officer of the Sacramento County Bar Association Family Law Executive Committee. 

The transcript records Sokol and Van Beveren disseminating subtle and overt falsehoods, deceptions, denials and trivializations about the unlawful 2009 assault and arrest of indigent, disabled litigant and family court watchdog Robert Saunders, in the courtroom of Judge Matthew Gary. Both Sokol and Van Beveren were eyewitnesses to the incident. 

In April, 2012 SFCN published an in-depth, investigative report on the debacle and subsequent events, including the vindication of Saunders by two outside, independent judges. Click here to read our report.

To continue reading, click Read more >> below... 

Divorce Attorneys Russell Carlson, Elaine Van Beveren, Fredrick Cohen & Paula Salinger Sacramento Bar Association Family Law Section Executive Committee Silent On Conflict Issue

Sacramento Bar Association FLEC Officers Response To Judge Pro Tem Conflict of Interest Controversy: Crickets

FLEC officers Russell Carlson, Elaine Van Beveren,
Fredrick Cohen and Paula Salinger are silent on the
judge pro tem conflict of interest controversy. 

Sacramento Family Court News asked the officers of the Sacramento Bar Association Family Law Executive Committee for a response to our report disclosing that family court judges are systemically and unlawfully failing to disclose conflicts of interest. 

The conflicts occur when family law attorneys who also serve as family court temporary judges represent clients in court. State law and the California Code of Judicial Ethics require full-time judges to disclose to opposing parties and lawyers the temporary judge status of the attorneys. 

By email, SFCN asked for a response from the officers of the Sacramento Bar Association Family Law Section Executive Committee, known by the acronym FLEC. The officers are all family law attorneys who each also hold the Office of Temporary Judge. The officers consist of Chair Russell Carlson, Vice Chair Elaine Van Beveren, Treasurer Fredrick Cohen, and Secretary Paula Salinger. 

As sworn temporary judges, each is required by the Code of Judicial Ethics to take appropriate corrective action if they learn that another judge has violated any provision of the Code. The obligation is a critical self-policing component of judicial ethics standards, and helps sustain the rule of law. To view a Judicial Council directive about the duty to take corrective action, and the types of corrective action required, click here.  

Sacramento Family Court News sent an email to each FLEC officer on Feb. 1. Click here to view the email. We asked for their response or other input about our judge pro tem conflict of interest article published Jan. 28. We wrote:

"We'll be publishing additional articles on this subject and would appreciate a response or other input from the Sacramento County Bar Association Family Law Section Executive Committee. What is FLEC's position on this issue? Does FLEC acknowledge this error by family court judges? Does FLEC intend to initiate corrective measures to mitigate this problem? If so, what are your plans to do so? We welcome from FLEC any other feedback you wish to provide."

To continue reading, click Read more >> below: 

Divorce Attorneys Sacramento and Family Law Lawyers Family Court Child Custody / Visitation Orders Cause Unhappy Holidays

Illegal "No Contact" Child Custody & Visitation Orders Cause Mental and Emotional Trauma, Especially During Holidays, say Protest Organizers

Summer 2012 family court reform group protest. Among other issues, court reform advocates assert that "no contact" child custody orders issued by Sacramento Family Court judges are drafted intentionally to obstruct the oversight functions of the 3rd District Court of Appeal and California Supreme Court.

Child Custody/Visitation Issues: On Tuesday Nov. 20 two family court reform organizations will hold a rally across from the William R. Ridgeway Family Relations Courthouse. The groups seek to raise awareness of the mental and emotional trauma experienced during the holidays by parents who, due to family court child custody and visitation orders, have been denied contact with their own children. 

Court watchdogs have documented that family court judges routinely issue as punishment unlawful "no contact" orders which prohibit a parent from having any contact with their own children. The orders - issued without the legal grounds required by state law - effectively terminate all parental rights, and are intentionally worded so that any attempted appeal is futile, according to reform advocates. 

"Many parents throughout America get to spend a traditional day of feasting, socializing, fraternizing, watching football, etc., with their children, relatives and friends. Unfortunately, this is not true for everyone. Too many parents have been denied what many Americans get to enjoy every year, and take for granted - an opportunity to spend Thanksgiving Day with their children," said Robert Saunders of Fathers4Justice.

To continue reading, click Read more >> below: 

California Family Law & Divorce Lawyers: Sacramento Superior Court Family Relations Courthouse Declared Crime Scene by United Nations - Sunday Funnies

SCBA Family Law Section Divorce Attorneys and Judge Pro Tem Cartel Held Without Bail in U.N. Sweep

A United Nations peacekeeping force secures the William R. Ridgeway Family Relations Courthouse after declaring the entire facility an organized criminal enterprise and crime scene.

Sunday Satire by RoadDog

The United Nations today declared the Sacramento County William R. Ridgeway Family Relations Courthouse a crime scene. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon formally served Court Executive Officer Edward Pollard Christina Volkers a criminal indictment detailing by family court judges multiple violations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

"The substandard conditions here in Sacramento County Family Court defy belief," Ki-moon said. "Almost all Third-World countries operate family court systems which ensure the basic human rights of litigants. This court does not come close to doing so. The rampant cronyism between Sacramento Family Court judges and attorneys associated with the Sacramento County Bar Association Family Law Section conclusively establishes that the court operates as an organized criminal enterprise," Ki-moon charged. "We have come to hold them accountable for their actions."

Click here for the full story...

Judge Matthew Gary Demoted by Presiding Judge: Stripped of Supervising Judge Title by PJ Laurie Earl - Judge Jaime Roman Installed as Supervising Judge

Controversial Judge Matthew Gary Removed from Supervising Judge Position

Sacramento County Family Court News Exclusive

Letterhead of former Supervising Family Law/Probate/ADA Judge Matthew J. Gary

Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Jaime R. Roman has been named as the Supervising Family Law, Probate and ADA Judge, effective today. The supervising judge position previously was held by Matthew J. Gary, who prematurely has been removed from the post months before the normal rotation of presiding and supervising judge positions. 

All other supervising and presiding judge positions remain unchanged. Working from Department 121, Gary will revert to his position as a non-supervisory, rank-and-file family court jurist. 

Gary's short-lived stint as a supervising judge was marred by controversy, including a plan to eliminate many family court services and reduce the Family Law Division of the court to providing what he referred to as "core functions." Gary also has been battered by disqualification by an outside judge, and endured a major reversal from the Third District Court of Appeal. 

To continue reading, click Read more >> below...    

Judge Matthew Gary Family Law and Judge Misconduct - Motion for Recusal Disqualification Order

Judge Villapudua Orders Matthew Gary Removed from Case for Bias and Misconduct Against Disabled Pro Per

Wednesday Document Dump

Court order by San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Xapuri Villapudua removing Judge Matthew Gary from the Robert Saunders case. 
Click here for the complete Sacramento Family Court News report.

Hon. Matthew J. Gary Abuse of Authority: Code of Judicial Ethics and State Law Violations - Ordered Removed From Family Court Case by Fellow Judge for Misconduct, Bias & Abuse of Unrepresented Litigant

Judge Matthew J. Gary

Sacramento Family Court News Exclusive:

[Updated below]

Internal court records obtained by Sacramento Family Court news reveal that a San Joaquin County judge in 2010 issued a court order removing Judge Matthew Gary from a Sacramento Family Court case for misconduct and bias against a disabled, unrepresented litigant.

Although Gary contested the removal action and denied the bias and misconduct charges, after reviewing the evidence San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Xapuri B. Villapudua rejected Gary's version of events and ordered the controversial judge disqualified from any further proceedings in the case.