NOVEMBER BALLOT...
ALLEGATIONS COMING FAST AND
FURIOUS FROM BOTH SIDES -- IN A
RACE THAT WILL AFFECT PARENTS...
AND CHILDREN... FOR YEARS TO
COME.
THE LATEST SALVO COMES FROM THE
INCUMBENT:
JUDGE DAWN AMACKER... WHO'S
CLAIMING "DIRTY POLITICS" --
FOLLOWING THE RELEASE OF A
LETTER "ATTACKING" HER
... AND PROMOTING HER OPPONENT.
NORTHSHORE REPORTER HEATH
ALLEN... WITH THE NEW
DEVELOPMENTS ... IN THE FAMILY
COURT FEUD.
My letter is from me, written by
me, as an advocate for 36 years
for abused women and children.
EARLIER THIS MONTH.. NORTH SHORE
ATTORNEY RICHARD DUCOTE
SENT THIS "CONFIDENTIAL" LETTER
TO LAWYERS IN
WASHINGTON AND ST. TAMMANY
PARISHES.. IN SUPPORT OF
FAMILY COURT JUDGE CANDIDATE
NANINE MCCOOL.. AND SLAMMING
THE WAY INCUMBENT JUDGE DAWN
AMACKER RUNS HER
COURTROOM. THAT LETTER IS "NOT
SO CONFIDENTIAL"
ANY MORE -- NOT SINCE THE AUTHOR
SENT IT TO WDSU AND
OTHER LOCAL MEDIA. IT READS, IN
PART: "I have never encountered
another judge handling child
custody cases with so little
knowledge
and understanding regarding the
evidence of, the dynamics of,
and
the damage done by the physical
and sexual abuse of women and
children
as Judge Dawn Amacker
possesses."
If you run for judge and you
don't want people commenting on
your record, that's a problem.
DUCOTE DID REPRESENT MCCOOL IN
RECENT
PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE LOUISIANA
ATTORNEY
DISCIPLINARY BOARD.. BUT INSISTS
HE HAS NOTHING TO DO
WITH HER CAMPAIGN. HIS LETTER,
HOWEVER,
SPARKED QUICK RESPONSE FROM
AMACKER .. WHO FILED THIS
COMPLAINT WITH THE JUDICIAL
CAMPAIGN OVERSIGHT
COMMITTEE.. ALLEGING MCCOOL
"ALLOWED" DUCOTE TO MAKE
FALSE CLAIMS ABOUT HER. A
SPOKESMAN FOR AMACKER
DECLINED FURTHER COMMENT ON THE
MATTER,
EXPLAINING, IN A STATEMENT, THAT
THE JUDICIAL CODE OF CONDUCT
KEEPS SUCH THINGS
CONFIDENTIAL... ... AND --
QUOTE --
"Judge Amacker is therefore
prevented from responding to Mr.
Ducote's 'press
release.'" THE RACE FOR FAMILY
COURT JUDGE ON THE NORTH SHORE..
GROWING HEATED.. AS THE TWO
CANDIDATES SQUARE OFF.
A lot of the litigants, the
parents that have been through
this are speaking out.
Custody is not a tool to
regulate human behavior.
MORE THAN A YEAR AGO.. KEELY
CROZAT, CO-FOUNDED OPERATION
SAVE .. SCORES OF PARENTS LOCKED
IN CUSTODY
BATTLES.. IN THE 22ND JUDICIAL
DISTRICT.. ALL WITH SIMILAR
STORIES.. ALL CRIITCAL OF WHAT
THEY BELIEVE TO BE A BROKEN
FAMILY COURT SYSTEM. MOST OF
THIS GROUP HAVE TELL US THEY'VE
KEPT ANONYMOUS .. BECAUSE THEIR
CASES ARE STILL OPEN. THEY --
AND
THE HANDFUL WHO HAVE STEPPED
FORWARD PUBLICLY -- SAY
FAMILY COURT BE A FINANCIAL
BACKBREAKER. AND THEY
QUESTION SOME OF THE ACTIONS
BEING TAKEN... FROM THE BENCH.
Because she's a judge and she
can do what she wants to do, she
threw me in jail. And I endured
the worst
experience in my life. The
secrecy, behind closed doors and
off the record,
because there is no clear record
of what happens in court. When
the recorder goes off, anything
can be
said and the Court of Appeals is
not going to hear it.
THIS FATHER -- WITH A CASE
BEFORE THE COURT -- SAYS
HE'S ALREADY SPENT 150 THOUSAND
DOLLARS.. OVER
TWO YEARS.. IN HIS CHILD CUSTODY
BATTLE. AND HASN'T
CALLED HIS FIRST WITNESS. HE
CLAIMS THE JUDGE BULLIES
HIM IN COURT. I'm going to
throw you in jail. I ask you a
question, I try to
answer, tells me to shut up or
I'm going to throw you in the
holding cell. Does not care
about the facts of the
case. I think there's a huge
overriding freedom of speech
issue here.
SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, WE CONTACTED
JUDGE DAWN
AMACKER ABOUT THE PARENTS'
SPECFIC CONCERNS. SHE
DECLINED OUR OFFER TO SIT DOWN
FOR AN INTERVIEW. AS
FOR JUDGE AMACKER'S COMPLAINT
AGAINST
CANDIDATE NANINE MCCOOL -- THAT
REMAINS ACTIVE.. AND IF
SUBSTANTIATED.. COULD LEAD TO A
CITATION FOR VIOLATION OF THE
LOUISIANA CODE OF JUDICIAL
CONDUCT. ON YOUR SIDE ON THE
NORTH SHORE, HEATH ALLEN WDSU
NEWS.
CANDIDATE NANINE McCOOL SAYS SHE
HAS UNTIL MONDAY TO
REPLY TO THE COMPLAINT FILED
AGAINST HER BY JUDGE AMACKER.
SHE SAYS SHE WILL COMPLY.
ST. BERNARD PARISH PRESIDENT
DAVE PERALTA HAS