This is not legal advice. I am not an attorney.

This is not a replacement for seeking mental health services from a professional. I have not studied psychotherapy nor a related field formally.

This is just one friend speaking to another about how she copes with corrupt judges.

It is a corrupt system.

Not every judge is corrupt though. When there is an honest judge presiding, our legal system is a thing of beauty.

When there is an unethical judge, it is a nightmare.

This is what I do when I find myself living the nightmare.

I tell myself, “I will do what I can do.”

If you find yourself in front of a judge like Susan Weaver, I know you are frustrated.

I know you are afraid.

Give yourself permission to feel your feelings.

Expect miracles. Let go and breathe.

Take each next right step. Do what you can do.

I use yoga in the morning to find calm and try to take that calm with me into the day.

Sometimes circumstances are out of control. For example, Judge Weaver dismissed me as a defendant from a case on the merits, but then transferred a $199,000 property that was in a trust that I was trustee and beneficiary of to a man who put his plan to defraud me of $75,000 in writing. Oh, his attorney will probably get a huge portion of that and who knows, some may find its way into Judge Weaver’s pocket. I am just speculating. But no one is as dumb as Judge Weaver appears to be from her decisions. The injustice she metes out must be purposeful. (Judge Weaver was adamant that I make no argument or provide evidence that would benefit the trust. She threatened me with incarceration if I represented the trust.)

Breathe.

Speak to a therapist. If you don’t have good insurance, there is a free 12-step program called CoDA that is full of people who are learning to set boundaries. Church pastors and their wives are usually helpful to speak with as well.

For me, it is empowering to write about the problem.

I had a corrupt commissioner presiding on a custody case in California. When I wrote about my experience, bunches of other parents contacted me with similar stories. Eventually the bad judicial officer left the bench. He died two years later at the age of 64.

There are people who are employed on the taxpayer’s payroll who are supposed to protect us from unethical judges. In Arkansas, they are with the JDDC (Judicial Disciplinary and Disability Commission).

Usually, these commissions are a big waste of money, a paper tiger.

The JDDC tried to discipline Judge Susan Weaver when she first took office in the Circuit Courts. But Judge Weaver beat them at the appellate court.

Yes, it is frustrating when you are forced to take on people who have power and control, who seem untouchable. You may feel like you cannot possibly win.

But allowing hypocrites to take your property, liberty and maybe even life without putting up a fight is a certain loss.

There is peace in pursuing justice to its end.

Namaste and Shalom.

Email: bohemian_books@yahoo.com