Last week’s story on the decision by a Tarrant County family court judge to rent out his courtroom for a fundraiser for a for-profit company caught the attention of many readers (“ Darker Possibilities,” Feb 22).
“Thank you so much, Edward Brown, for continuing to raise awareness of the family court,” one reader said.
Staff writer Brown received more than laudatory messages for his reporting on the event organized by the family counseling group Brighter Possibilities. He is now reviewing dozens of photos and government documents that appear to show recent fraternizing among judges, family law attorneys, and groups contracted by the county to weigh in on family court cases. Those friendly relationships are questionable at best and highly unethical at worst. Mothers and fathers have every right to assume that when they walk into a courtroom, those legal professionals are not predisposed to give biased rulings or advice based on personal relationships.
Clearly, there’s more reporting to be done in this area. We welcome anyone who has evidence — social media posts, photos, and documents — of unprofessional socializing that may constitute conflicts of interest to email Editor Anthony Mariani at Anthony@FWWeekly.com. We will protect the anonymity of all whistleblowers.
This column reflects the opinions of the editorial board and not the Fort Worth Weekly. To submit a column, please email Editor Anthony Mariani at Anthony@FWWeekly.com. He will gently edit it for concision and clarity.
