In most states Family Court is different because children are involved. Privacy is utmost concern. It’s not just divorces and custody squabbles between parents.

It’s also child services taking children from abusive parents. It’s mediating between say; the mother of a long gone Dad, the grandma deciding the Mom is an unfit mother Grandma wants custody of child and usually, custody of the welfare check access to section 8 or the projects

So grandma calls child services with anonymous reports of all kinds of abuse. Child services had to investigate. Grandma goes to one of the many Legal Aid Foundations and finds an attorney to file suit to take child and welfare check from Mom to grandma

Money hurt feelings revenge and children; people go temporarily insane. It’s so much BS. Judges attorneys social workers etc know it’s all BS.
When things get too insane the children get a court appointed attorney

Because

It’s not who wins and loses in Family Court. It’s first and foremost the best interests of the child.

The last thing the children, first and foremost the children, and temporarily insane divorcing couples need is stupid jurors making unbelievably crucial decisions that affect a child’s entire life. Not that bad for a 15 year old unless Dad wants to molest her, but terrible for a 3 year old who has an entire child hood dependent on decision of 12 idiots unfamiliar with the insanity of Family Court.

At least the Family Court Judges know all the lies, stories and manipulations.

But jurors are innocents about all the BS

Look at this decision. The jury decided not the judge.

Whatever you infer from the constitution jury trials are bad. They are a last resort.

Family Court is often in a separate area with playrooms because stupid parents insist on bringing them or the kids might have to testify.

For instance in most states there is a standard child support chart dependent on the non custodial parents income. That’s it. what’s on the chart.

If non custodial parent decides to buy a $100,000 car with $750 a month payments and pleads can’t make car payments and support as well, too bad. Judge orders support your child according to your income and get a cheaper car. A jury might stupidly agree to lower the child support to $50 a month per child because non custodial parent needs to make the car payments

Or, custodial parent decides to enroll kid in private school summer camp winter ski club riding lessons etc. And wants non custodial parent to pay for all this upper class life on a middle class salary. A jury might order that non custodial parent can afford all this and raise the child support to far far more than is on the standard child support chart

Texas is the only state that has Family Court jury trials. That’s why I was so surprised.

Our system is an adversarial fight win or lose system. P vs D. In reality, there are very few jury trials. They’re a last result in civil litigation. In reality, every body settles. Plaintiff gets something Defendant/Respondent keeps something

Family Court, best interest of the child is paramount. That’s why juries in Family Court are a bad bad bad idea. The parents can indulge in their temporary insanity at a psychiatrist if the want to waste the money, or ruin holidays with their melodrama or beat and kill each other

Family Court hearings are often closed to the public and other litigants. One case at a time. The other cases in the day’s calendar wait outside. Because it’s all private information and half of what the parent’s say is lies anyway.

Parents getting divorced and spending weekends with Dad, telling your social worker and attorney you really want to live full time with Dad, all that’s bad for kids. But it going on for years is worse for the kids.

Parents get over the trauma and leave the kids alone.