Editorial: Family Court hearing to outline woes

Thursday, Nov. 13, 1997 | 10:27 a.m.

MEMBERS of a legislative subcommittee looking into the much-criticized Clark County Family Court will need the wisdom of Solomon, compassion and patience, and the courage to recommend change.

The first of several hearings is set for 9:30 a.m. Friday in Room 4412 of the Sawyer State Office Building at Washington Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard North.

The Legislature established the subcommittee after a storm of criticism was unleashed against the court system by frustrated litigants.

A SUN series, "Family Court: Out of Order," published in January outlined problems such as inordinate delays in decisions, ex-parte communication, lack of proper record-keeping, increasing caseloads, charges of gender bias and judges' demeanors, which negatively affected cases.

As a result, the Legislature conducted a hearing in Las Vegas and heard the same complaints from families who say they are being torn apart all over again by a system that is unfair.

Whether any Family Court can truly be "fair" is open to debate. However, there is evidence in many cases that decisions regarding a child or ex-spouse's future are being made without thorough investigations of the facts.

Most of the people expected to testify at Friday's hearing agree: "We want our children's voices heard." They want the subcommittee to know the pain and disruption some of the Family Court procedures have caused them. They say the system ignores the wishes of their children, and instead listens to only the most vocal parent or the one with the most money to hire high-priced attorneys.

But as Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, chairwoman of the subcommittee, has cautioned, the panel cannot reverse decisions. The subcommittee's mandate is to examine how the system operates and how cases are processed. Then it will present recommendations to the 1999 Legislature on how it can more efficiently handle cases in a timely and fairer manner.

Other subcommittee members are Sens. Ernie Adler, D-Carson City; Jon Porter, R-Boulder City; Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas; and Maurice Washington, R-Sparks; and Assemblywomen Ellen Koivisto, D-North Las Vegas; Genie Ohrenschall, D-Las Vegas; and Sandra Tiffany, R-Las Vegas.

We urge the subcommittee to keep an open mind. Members will hear heart-wrenching tales of children who want to be with one parent but have been ordered to live with another. They will shudder at grandparents' pleas for rights when it comes to the welfare of their grandchildren who are being abused or neglected. They will not believe that some divorce cases between childless couples took two to three years to complete.

The subcommittee also should hear accounts of how the judges are overburdened; how there is precious little time for caseworkers to conduct thorough investigations of cases; and how many people can't get a fair shake in the system because they don't have thousands of dollars to pay attorneys to represent them.

These people need a voice. They can't hire lobbyists to promote their cause in Carson City. This may be the next best thing.

Hopefully, the subcommittee will be listening.