I am waiting for a jury to return to see if truth and justice prevail in one particular case! lol<br><br> I worry that these posts might be considered way off topic, but I suppose that dealing with the Court System is certainly an important Urban Survival issue?<br><br>Mac, unless someone else is writing your posts, I don’t think there is any way the Court officials thought you were stupid!<br><br>Clarence Darrow once said something like "anyone who represents himself has a fool for a client and a lawyer." Please don't get me wrong, you kicked some serious butt acting on your own behalf (or as the quasi latin guys would say "pro se" ), but if even Clarence Darrow needed a lawyer, you and I certainly would. Easily said huh? But if you have no money and they won't appoint one (which is why they lowered the charge to a misdemeanor, that takes away the automatic right to appointed counsel that comes with a felony) what do you do? For others who may be in the same situation they should call the bar association and check for a legal aid program or a list of lawyers who do pro-bono (quasi latin for free work but it will help to know the terminology). When I was in private practice we had a strict rule that we did at least 20% as free work for people stuck in your kind of nightmare or something similar. You would be surprised by how many lawyers do that, but you may have to be persistent to find one. It surprises me how many people go to court without a lawyer (and could clearly afford one, but want to save money). Even the most brilliant people can't teach themselves enough law in a short time, and more importantly, can't quickly teach themselves the additional technical and procedural rules that a trial lawyer needs to know. (You learned this the hard way). These people would not fly their own plane or fix their own brakes without training, but they will walk into a courtroom. I recognize that this was NOT your situation—you had no choice, but if you have a judge who will hold you to the same evidentiary requirements as a represented client (and most do) you are stuck. What is so frustrating is that you lose, even when, as in your case, you are clearly in the right.<br><br> It is not fair, but look at it this way. If you and I were each lost in the woods with no hope of rescue, you would have a much better chance of surviving than I (at least at this point, but I am working on it). It is not fair that I die and you live (at least from MY perspective), but the better trained and prepared win in any forum....right? <br><br>I have seen cases where someone ended up paying more than $30,000 in support payments that should have and would have been satisfied if they had known which motion to file in which court at the right time, or more importantly, as in your case, are wrongly denied time with their kids. If you had known how to properly file a "show cause" order, your ex would have had a simple choice, i.e. allow visitation or go to jail. I know I am sounding really preachy here, but it is frustrating that the system can be used by the unscrupulous to defeat justice.<br><br>I guess that even the most just and fair system can be misused if access by a lay person is limited by technical rules. The bottom line is that if you have to go to court on anything more serious than a traffic ticket do EVERYTHING in your power to get a competent lawyer to help you. I do NOT mean this as a self-serving commercial(especially since I am not in private practice), but I think your situation is a perfect example of the potential tragic consequences that may otherwise occur. <br><br>The bottom bottom line, Mac, is that it appears that there were some involved in your situation who should feel ashamed or dirty—but I can’t see how you are one of them in ANY way, shape or form.<br><br>Take good care….Rob<br>