Family Court Tragedy

Naomi Schaefer Riley joins City Journal editor Brian Anderson to discuss how family court in New York fails vulnerable children and how reforms could improve child-welfare. In the New York Family Court System, judges adjudicate cases ranging from custody disputes to child abuse. As Riley reports, though, the whole system can feel like an agonizing series of hearings, trials, and meetings—often without any resolution. The process can prove detrimental to a child’s emotional well-being, in addition to draining money and resources from parents. Family court’s problems may have begun with the cultural revolutions of the 1960s, but “bureaucratic incompetence, outdated technology, and weak leadership have played major roles since then,” Riley observes. “These problems can be addressed meaningfully.” She explains how in her City Journal feature story, “The Tragedy of Family Court.”