In the grand halls of family court, where justice is supposed to weigh facts with fairness and discernment, a dangerous delegation of power is quietly taking place. Court-appointed guardians ad litem (GALs) and so-called parent coordinators—most of whom carry no medical license, legal authority, or judicial oversight—are being used as covert extensions of judicial discretion. These unelected actors, many with no more qualifications than a weekend seminar and a court’s blessing, are making life-altering decisions about custody, visitation, and parental rights. Worse yet, they’re doing it with impunity.
This is not co-parenting guidance. This is state-sponsored gaslighting. Outsourcing the Gavel
The family court was once the judge’s bench. Today, it’s a relay race—only instead of handing oƯ batons, judges are handing oƯ power. GALs and parent coordinators are being given sweeping influence without the safeguards of due process. They present reports as if gospel, recommend custody changes like coƯee orders, and weigh in on psychological diagnoses without licenses or credentials to do so.
This isn’t just lazy judging—it’s judicial cowardice. Judges, unwilling to make tough calls or face appeals, outsource critical decisions to third parties who are largely unaccountable. And when these appointees get it wrong—as they often do—the judge simply shrugs and signs the order.
“And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness” (Psalm 9:8)
Who, then, is judging the GALs?
A Cottage Industry of Collateral Damage
A booming, unregulated cottage industry has sprung up around the family court system, built on the backs of parents in crisis. These so-called experts—GALs, parent coordinators,
reunification therapists, custody evaluators—often share one thing in common: they are not qualified to do the work they’ve been entrusted with.
Many are dabbling in psychology without clinical degrees, oƯering custody recommendations without ever having practiced law, and diagnosing family dynamics based on limited or biased information. They masquerade as neutral professionals while holding extraordinary influence over life-altering legal decisions. Their conclusions are often speculative, riddled with confirmation bias, and grounded more in personal opinion than in science, data, or law.
The result? Serious errors—false claims of parental alienation, inappropriate custody reversals, mishandled abuse allegations, and fractured relationships between children and protective parents. These missteps, born of incompetence and arrogance, don’t just end in one bad ruling. They trigger years—sometimes decades—of collateral damage and ongoing litigation. Children age out of the system having lost relationships with entire sides of their family. Parents go bankrupt trying to reverse court-ordained injustice rooted in junk reports and unqualified “expert” testimony.
This is not due process. It’s malpractice in plain sight.
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” (Hosea 4:6)
And that ignorance—weaponized by the court and subsidized by public funds—is tearing families apart.
Weaponized Against the “Wrong” Parent
Time and again, records and testimonies show GALs and parent coordinators aligned with the favored litigant—typically the wealthier, better-connected, or legally represented parent. The “high-conflict” label is thrown around to justify their presence, but in practice, it’s a smokescreen used to micromanage and manipulate the parent without the judge’s favor.
It is no coincidence that parents who speak out about abuse, judicial bias, or unethical behavior in courtrooms often find themselves the target of these so-called professionals. It’s judicial retaliation by proxy. These appointees can silence a parent, control communication, restrict visitation, and even recommend supervised contact—all without a single evidentiary hearing.
“He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the Lord” (Proverbs 17:15)
Who’s Paying for This?
Here’s the kicker: you are.
Federal dollars—through Title IV-D and other reimbursement schemes—are flowing to states that contract GALs and parent coordinators, many of whom double dip with private fees. Parents are forced to pay hundreds of dollars an hour for “services” they never asked for, while courts turn a blind eye. The more conflict they claim, the longer they stay involved, and the more money they make. It’s a racket. And it’s happening in broad daylight.
Where is the Department of Justice? Where is the OƯice of Inspector General? Where is the DOGE—the Department of Governmental Ethics—when millions in taxpayer money are funding unauthorized surrogates for the bench?
Time for Oversight
Congress has investigated far less scandalous expenditures than this. If federal dollars are being used to outsource justice to unlicensed, unregulated, and often unethical private actors, then federal accountability must follow. This is not just a matter of parental rights. This is a matter of constitutional rights, financial fraud, and institutional rot.
Every child’s life upended, every parent silenced, every family torn by GAL overreach should be a national headline. The silence is a symptom. The system is the disease.
If we are to call ourselves a nation of laws, we cannot allow judges to subcontract their conscience.
Let the righteous be bold. Let the truth be told.
And let the gavel fall on every scheme that exalts itself against justice.
By Nikki Isaac
