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AMERICAN COALITION FOR FAMILY LAW & JUSTICE

A CALL to Action: Reform Family Courts to Follow the Constitution

Join ACFLJ to inform and advocate for fair family laws, through legal analysis, FOIA requests, education & drafting solutions

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Empowering Families Through Education & Advocacy

ACFLJ™ is a faith-based organization dedicated to educating the public and championing advocacy in legal and community forums to protect parents' constitutional rights and freedoms.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

The content on this site is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should not be interpreted as legal advice, nor does it constitute an attorney-client relationship. Always consult with a qualified legal professional in your jurisdiction for advice tailored to your situation. ACFLJ™ is a legal technology company, not a law firm. Opinions expressed are those of ACFLJ™ and not legal conclusions. Read Full Disclaimer

Congress has the power to create laws, the President has the power to veto them, and the Supreme Court may declare laws Unconstitutional - Cornell Law School

LANDMARK CASES

Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo (2024, U.S. Supreme Court)

The Court overturned the Chevron doctrine, ending judicial deference to administrative agencies' interpretations of ambiguous statutes and empowering courts to independently assess constitutionality, thereby facilitating more civil suits challenging agency actions that may infringe on fundamental rights like parental authority.

Monell Liability (1978,U.S. Supreme Court)

Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo (2024, U.S. Supreme Court)

Refers to the legal doctrine that allows individuals to sue local governments—such as cities, counties, and municipalities—for constitutional violations under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Established by the U.S. Supreme Court in Monell v. Department of Social Services (1978), this doctrine holds that municipalities can be held financially liable when their official policies, customs, or practices cause employees to violate someone's constitutional rights.

Troxel v. Granville (2000, U.S. Supreme Court)

Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo (2024, U.S. Supreme Court)

Troxel v. Granville (2000, U.S. Supreme Court)

The Court held that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment protects the fundamental right of fit parents to make decisions concerning the care, custody, and control of their children without undue state interference.

Santosky v. Kramer (1982, U.S. Supreme Court)

Pennoyer v. Neff (95 U.S. 714, 1878, U.S. Supreme Court)

Troxel v. Granville (2000, U.S. Supreme Court)

The Court required clear and convincing evidence of harm (or parental unfitness) before a state may terminate parental rights, protecting parents' fundamental interest in the care and custody of their children from insufficiently supported state intervention.

Blessing v. Freestone (1997 U.S. Supreme Court)

Pennoyer v. Neff (95 U.S. 714, 1878, U.S. Supreme Court)

Unanimously held that neither custodial parents nor their children have a privately enforceable federal right under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 to compel a state to achieve "substantial compliance" with the overall requirements of Title IV-D of the Social Security Act.

Pennoyer v. Neff (95 U.S. 714, 1878, U.S. Supreme Court)

The Court held that a judgment without proper personal jurisdiction is void ab initio, with no validity, and may be collaterally attacked at any time—a Fourteenth Amendment due process rule that allows indefinite challenges to family law orders (e.g., custody or support) entered without valid jurisdiction.

Parham v. J.R. (442 U.S. 584, 1979, U.S. Supreme Court)

The Court upheld parental authority in certain contexts, noting that "natural bonds of affection lead parents to act in the best interests of their children," reinforcing a presumption against state substitution of judgment for fit parents.

Tumey v. Ohio (1927, U.S. Supreme Court)

Parham v. J.R. (442 U.S. 584, 1979, U.S. Supreme Court)

Holding: "No man can be a judge in his own case"—due process violation if judge/referee has personal/financial interest (relevant to referee bias/conflicts).

Kulko v. Superior Court (1978, U.S. Supreme Court)

Parham v. J.R. (442 U.S. 584, 1979, U.S. Supreme Court)

Kulko v. Superior Court (1978, U.S. Supreme Court)

A state court cannot exercise personal jurisdiction over a non-resident parent in a support modification action without minimum contacts—doing so deprives the parent of due process.

Meyer v. Nebraska (1923, US Supreme Court)

Kamp v. Kamp (NY-specific, often cited for void orders)

Kulko v. Superior Court (1978, U.S. Supreme Court)

Established the fundamental parental right to direct the upbringing and education of their children as a protected liberty interest under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Kamp v. Kamp (NY-specific, often cited for void orders)

Holding: Void judgments/orders can be collaterally attacked at any time—there is no statute of limitations on challenging lack of jurisdiction.

Weiss v. Weiss (NY-specific family law)

Kamp v. Kamp (NY-specific, often cited for void orders)

Holding: Visitation rights are independent of child support obligations—cannot condition one on payment of the other.

CITATION COUNTS OF LANDMARK CASES DISTINCT JUDICIAL OPINIONS

Who We Are

Core Advocacy & Research Areas

• Pro se - Education and Clerical Assistance

• In-Depth Legal Analysis

• FOIA Requests & Government Transparency

• Public Education & Awareness Campaigns

• Drafting Sample Motions, Petitions, and Proposed Legislative Reforms

Substantive Focus Areas

• Family Law Reform

• Civil Rights in Domestic Relations Cases

• Child Support Accountability & Transparency

• Custody & Visitation Equity

• Presumption of Shared Parenting

• Protection Against False Allegations

• Parental Alienation Recognition & Prevention

• Domestic Violence Laws & Due Process Protections

• Guardian ad Litem & Court-Appointed Expert Reform

• Title IV-D Funding Incentives & Conflicts of Interest

• Relocation Restrictions & Move-Away Cases

• Enforcement of Parenting Time Orders

• Paternity Establishment & Disestablishment

• Grandparent & Extended Family Rights

• Adoption & Termination of Parental Rights Safeguards

• Parental Rights & Protection of the Parent-Child Relationship

• Constitutional Law (Due Process, Equal Protection, and Fundamental Liberties)

Jurisdictional & Institutional Advocacy Targets

• Local Family Courts

• State Trial Courts & Family Divisions

• State Courts of Appeals (Intermediate Appellate Courts)

• State Appellate Courts (including specialized divisions)

• State Supreme Courts

• Federal District Courts

• U.S. Courts of Appeals (Circuit Courts)

• U.S. Supreme Court

• Federal Courts (general oversight and habeas review in family-related matters)

• Interstate Jurisdiction Issues (UCCJEA/URCCJEA)

Expanded Advocacy & Litigation Focus Areas

• Federal Civil Rights Lawsuits Under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Challenging violations by state actors—such as judges, caseworkers, or agencies—in family court or parental rights proceedings; typically filed in U.S. District Courts for alleged deprivations of due process, equal protection, or other constitutional rights under color of state law)

Additional Related Areas

• Schools & Parental Rights in Education

• Judicial Bias, Training, & Accountability

• Federal & State Legislative Advocacy

• Whistleblower Support

This platform is not a law firm. Legal services are provided by independent attorneys. No attorney-client relationship until engaged.

MAKING HEADLINES

They're Coming For Your Parental Rights- Here's What You Need To Know - Ep. 85™

"Is our child a creature of our state or under our authority" - Christy-Faith

Don Hubin - The Constitution and Child Custody™

" States routinely violate fundamental constitutional rights" - Don Hubin

Mistake Prisoner: Man Claims He Was Wrongly Imprisoned For 5 Years (Full Episode) | Paternity Court™

Missed his court date - Judgement 5 years jail - DNA test revealed not his child

Skip Child Support. Go to Jail. Lose Job. Repeat™

" Walter L. Scott went to jail for failure to pay child support, it sent his life into a tailspin" - New York Times

Man Became Homeless Because of Child Support Payments (Full Episode) | Paternity Court™

Can't pay my bills because my checks have been garnished - 66.3%

Why are Traditional Therapies Worse than Worthless for Parental Alienation?™

Research confirms that therapy while children live primarily with the favored parent rarely repairs parent-child relationships and may worsen alienation.

ALLEGED ISSUES

Incarcerating parents for unpaid child support is never in the child's best interest.
States require child support payments without any proof the money is used for the child.

Common Sense Isn't Common

No amount of money justifies jailing a parent, ever, as it destroys future earning potential, piles on unpayable debt, and harms the child's long-term emotional and financial stability.

Nor is freezing a parent’s driver’s license ever in the child’s best interest. Suspending a license often prevents the parent from getting to work, earning income, or even visiting the child—directly undermining the very financial and emotional support the system claims to protect. These punitive measures create a downward spiral of unemployment, deeper poverty, and family disconnection, leaving the child worse off in the long run.

For too long, fathers have endured systemic inequities in family courts, often facing denial of fundamental civil rights through discriminatory laws, procedures, policies, and practices. These injustices have resulted in the deprivation of constitutionally protected liberties, including the sacred parent-child relationship.

The U.S. Supreme Court has long recognized that the interest of parents in the care, custody, and control of their children is "perhaps the oldest of the fundamental liberty interests," protected by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment (Troxel v. Granville, 530 U.S. 57 (2000)). No right is more precious than this bond between parent and child—nothing, not even financial support, can fully replace the irreplaceable value of active, meaningful involvement in a child's life. Moreover, absent a showing of unfitness, separating a fit parent from their child solely on vague "best interest" grounds risks impermissibly intruding on this protected liberty.

Compounding these concerns, child support systems often lack transparency, with no guaranteed proof that payments directly benefit the child rather than other household expenses. True equity demands accountability and fairness for all parties.

I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree...that an unjust law is no law at all.

Martin Luther King Jr. - letter from Birmingham Jail, 1963

ACFLJ's mission

LEGAL ANALYSIS

fair family laws fathers rights child support

We seek legal analysis which involves a comprehensive review of the legal framework to determine whether the laws align with the principles and provisions outlined in the constitution.

FOIA REQUESTS

LEGAL ANALYSIS

By submitting FOIA requests, we hope to gain access to the information necessary for our research & analysis - with the aim of promoting transparency and accountability within the government.

EDUCATION

DRAFT SOLUTIONS

Exploring the implications and challenges of family laws, such as gender bias, legal intricacies, enforcement hurdles, and constitutional considerations.

DRAFT SOLUTIONS

drafting solutions fair family child support

We formulate solutions and best practices for intricate family law matters

ACFLJ™ ADVOCATES mission

BOOTS ON THE GROUND

CAMPAIGNING SIGNATURES

fair family laws advocating child support

Parents coming together to fight for a cause related to family laws can be a powerful way to advocate for change. Forming support groups, organize rallies, and raise awareness

CAMPAIGNING SIGNATURES

signatures fair family laws child support

Gather the necessary number of signatures to introduce or amend legislation

LOBBYING

CAMPAIGNING SIGNATURES

LOBBYING

fathers rights constitutional child support

To actively lobby in both State legislatures and Congress to advocate for the passage of new "Fair Family" laws

We rise by lifting others.

Robert Ingersoll