While I appreciate most of the work done by the Texas Home School Coalition Political action Committee (THSC), I fear that they have bitten off more than they should have in the case of Heather Moody. Mrs. Moody is claiming that Judge Youngblood has given temporary custody of her kids to her estranged husband simply because she home-schooled her kids and the THSC President Tim Lambert has bitten hook, line, and sinker.
Now I’m sure Mr. Lambert works hard to support the political agenda of the THSC, but I also know that Judge Youngblood is a good and respected member of the community and works hard to run the 20th District Court in a professional manner abiding by the law and not rewriting of law as he sees fit. Unfortunately in some cases following the law is not always the easiest of decisions for a judge to follow, but regardless of whether that judge is a Democrat or a Republican, a Liberal or a Conservative, following the law should be their primary concern, not creating or rewriting law.
This divorce is a sad and tragic event as is any divorce in the course of any American family; however, as with any divorce involving children, there are extenuating circumstances that are usually not know by the general public and as with this case they are ruled on as a matter of law and not as a matter of the personal opinion of the sitting judge.
The THSC has presented Mrs. Moody as a saint who has been wronged mightily by the court, but what is the whole story? Do you know? Is she saintly? The truth is we don’t know. And what about this third-hand statement the father made as you have reported? Is this the truth? Has Mrs. Moody been completely truthful in this matter? We don’t know that either. It will be the job of the jury to determine the status of this case and how it plays out if mediation does not work.
Judge Youngblood has ordered Mediation and that is a hard concept for many of us to understand and it is not easy to get through; however, it is successful in many cases and does keep many families out of a jury trial situation thereby keeping many children away from the trauma of having to go into a courtroom and see their family torn apart.
Family law in the state of Texas is very precise about certain issues and requires them to be handled in the certain manner that is not privy to the spot decisions of the judge in charge. What has been presented by the THSC is a compelling argument but it is only one side of the story. There are two sides of the story and unfortunately it appears that the THC has chosen the side that benefits their PAC regardless of the actual facts of the case.
The THSC suggest the voters of Milam County should remove Judge Youngblood for following the Family Law Code as written by the Lawmakers in Austin and replace him with Hollis Lewis. The THSC has officially endorsed Mr. Lewis even though he has a history that includes a 1999 reprimand from the Grievance Committee of the State Bar of Texas finding him guilty of Professional misconduct? A Reprimand he received while serving as County Attorney for Milam County.
In Closing I would say this; I doubt anyone who knows Mr. Lewis and Judge Youngblood would support the THSC’s claim that Mr. Lewis is the more conservative of the two. What they have presented here is a nice hit piece; however, before the THSC and their supporters endorse a candidate I think it important that they look into that candidate’s background. They might be surprised of the skeleton’s hiding in that closet!
All Rise!!
Bill
