WELCOME TO THE FAMILY COURT REPORT
The Family Court Report is a grassroots-fueled policy think tank and multimedia platform that shares news and human stories from the front lines of America’s family court system.
OUR WHY
America’s family court system is failing to protect our most vulnerable caregivers and children due to systemic ignorance and dismissal of domestic violence.
Exacerbating this crisis is the fact that even as domestic violence rates climb, there continues to be an alarming lack of coverage by mainstream media of the ways our family courts are enabling abuse, increasingly with tragic results.
OUR NEWSLETTER
The Family Court Report newsletter is on Substack. Subscribing is best way to join the conversation and keep up with our work. No paywalls—news and stories from The Family Court Report will remain freely accessible to all.
OUR MISSION
As The Family Court Report (FCR) launches, we have three central objectives guiding our work.
1. To share rigorously reported news and analysis on America’s family court system.
As a news organization, FCR aims to contribute to filling the current gap in coverage of issues facing our family courts. Reporting will be data-driven and presented through an equity and inclusion lens. Special attention will be paid to the disproportionate representation of mothers of color and families experiencing poverty who are trapped by our justice system. Coverage will also focus on the state-by-state development of new coercive control laws which aim to codify more comprehensive definitions of domestic violence.
2. To amplify the voices of caregivers and children who have been impacted by the family court system, especially the voices of domestic violence survivors.
As a personal narrative platform, FCR will prioritize passing the microphone to caregivers and youth who have firsthand experience fighting for safety and justice through our family courts. Stories from families of color, LGBTQ parents, youth, and others who are underrepresented in mainstream family court discourse will be actively sought out and supported.
3. To analyze current family court policies and laws while strategizing pathways for change.
As a think tank, FCR seeks to bring together diverse scholars, court professionals, and families who have been impacted by the justice system to examine current family court challenges and develop advocacy strategies for policies that will result in safer and more inclusive outcomes for all.
OUR LOGO
At the center of The Family Court Report logo is the ʻōhiʻa lehua flower, a plant that is endemic to Hawai'i and steeped in the islands' history and legends.
Feathery ʻōhiʻa lehua flowers may seem delicate, but these plants are remarkably hardy and capable of thriving in extremely harsh conditions. These are often the first species to bring life back to dry, barren lava rock plains after a volcanic eruption. Extending its root system deep into cracks in the rocks, these trees with fire-colored blooms are a keystone species for Hawai'i's native ecosystem, providing essential infrastructure needed for the forest to regenerate. ʻŌhiʻa lehua trees can reach a towering 100 feet tall and can live for over 1,000 years.
Tragically, due to a rapidly spreading fungal infestation with no known remedy, ʻōhiʻa lehua trees are currently facing serious threat. Hundreds of thousands of trees have already been lost since the infestation was first identified in 2014. Scientists, scholars, and local community members are working tirelessly to save the species.
The Family Court Report hopes that the ʻōhiʻa lehua flower serves as a symbol of resilience and resourcefulness for all who are fighting for safety and justice despite the bleak landscape of the family court system that enables abuse and silences survivors. The current collective efforts to save the ʻōhiʻa lehua trees is a nod to the grassroots reporting and advocacy that's gradually but steadily leading to much-needed change in our courts.
CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
We're on Facebook @Family Court Report where we're sparking conversation and sharing news, essays, and links to fuel your cautious optimism.
WHO'S BEHND THE FAMILY COURT REPORT
The Family Court Report is founded and led by award-winning producer and educator, Kristin Leong, M.Ed.. Leong has been fighting for safety and justice for herself and her son through the family court system for over a decade.
Leong is a 2023 Creative Capital awardee, a 2023 4Culture grantee, an AIR New Voices Scholar, an international TED-Ed Innovative Educator, a 2020 Seattle Arts Award nominee, and a 2020 Countering Hate Award winner. Her project HALF: Biracial + Bicultural in America was nominated for USA Today's Outstanding Academic & Intellectual Endeavor Award. As a first generation scholar and senior at Sarah Lawrence College, The New York Times called her a "graduate already in the driver's seat."
Currently, Leong teaches a multimedia storytelling course for diverse, highly capable middle school students with The University of Washington's Robinson Center. She previously served with NPR-affiliate KUOW Public Radio, Town Hall Seattle, and Bellevue Public Schools.
Originally from Honolulu, she now lives in Seattle with her wife, son, and rescue doodle, Radley. ROCK PAPER RADIO is her newsletter and the parent publisher of The Family Court Report.
SUPPORT
The Family Court Report is generously supported by a 2023 Creative Capital Wild Futures: Art, Culture, Impact Award.
Our work is also generously supported by our paid newsletter subscribers and all of our loyal readers who share our stories.
The Family Court Report is a grassroots-fueled policy think tank and multimedia platform that shares news and human stories from the front lines of America’s family court system.
OUR WHY
America’s family court system is failing to protect our most vulnerable caregivers and children due to systemic ignorance and dismissal of domestic violence.
Exacerbating this crisis is the fact that even as domestic violence rates climb, there continues to be an alarming lack of coverage by mainstream media of the ways our family courts are enabling abuse, increasingly with tragic results.
OUR NEWSLETTER
The Family Court Report newsletter is on Substack. Subscribing is best way to join the conversation and keep up with our work. No paywalls—news and stories from The Family Court Report will remain freely accessible to all.
OUR MISSION
As The Family Court Report (FCR) launches, we have three central objectives guiding our work.
1. To share rigorously reported news and analysis on America’s family court system.
As a news organization, FCR aims to contribute to filling the current gap in coverage of issues facing our family courts. Reporting will be data-driven and presented through an equity and inclusion lens. Special attention will be paid to the disproportionate representation of mothers of color and families experiencing poverty who are trapped by our justice system. Coverage will also focus on the state-by-state development of new coercive control laws which aim to codify more comprehensive definitions of domestic violence.
2. To amplify the voices of caregivers and children who have been impacted by the family court system, especially the voices of domestic violence survivors.
As a personal narrative platform, FCR will prioritize passing the microphone to caregivers and youth who have firsthand experience fighting for safety and justice through our family courts. Stories from families of color, LGBTQ parents, youth, and others who are underrepresented in mainstream family court discourse will be actively sought out and supported.
3. To analyze current family court policies and laws while strategizing pathways for change.
As a think tank, FCR seeks to bring together diverse scholars, court professionals, and families who have been impacted by the justice system to examine current family court challenges and develop advocacy strategies for policies that will result in safer and more inclusive outcomes for all.
OUR LOGO
At the center of The Family Court Report logo is the ʻōhiʻa lehua flower, a plant that is endemic to Hawai'i and steeped in the islands' history and legends.
Feathery ʻōhiʻa lehua flowers may seem delicate, but these plants are remarkably hardy and capable of thriving in extremely harsh conditions. These are often the first species to bring life back to dry, barren lava rock plains after a volcanic eruption. Extending its root system deep into cracks in the rocks, these trees with fire-colored blooms are a keystone species for Hawai'i's native ecosystem, providing essential infrastructure needed for the forest to regenerate. ʻŌhiʻa lehua trees can reach a towering 100 feet tall and can live for over 1,000 years.
Tragically, due to a rapidly spreading fungal infestation with no known remedy, ʻōhiʻa lehua trees are currently facing serious threat. Hundreds of thousands of trees have already been lost since the infestation was first identified in 2014. Scientists, scholars, and local community members are working tirelessly to save the species.
The Family Court Report hopes that the ʻōhiʻa lehua flower serves as a symbol of resilience and resourcefulness for all who are fighting for safety and justice despite the bleak landscape of the family court system that enables abuse and silences survivors. The current collective efforts to save the ʻōhiʻa lehua trees is a nod to the grassroots reporting and advocacy that's gradually but steadily leading to much-needed change in our courts.
CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
We're on Facebook @Family Court Report where we're sparking conversation and sharing news, essays, and links to fuel your cautious optimism.
WHO'S BEHND THE FAMILY COURT REPORT
The Family Court Report is founded and led by award-winning producer and educator, Kristin Leong, M.Ed.. Leong has been fighting for safety and justice for herself and her son through the family court system for over a decade.
Leong is a 2023 Creative Capital awardee, a 2023 4Culture grantee, an AIR New Voices Scholar, an international TED-Ed Innovative Educator, a 2020 Seattle Arts Award nominee, and a 2020 Countering Hate Award winner. Her project HALF: Biracial + Bicultural in America was nominated for USA Today's Outstanding Academic & Intellectual Endeavor Award. As a first generation scholar and senior at Sarah Lawrence College, The New York Times called her a "graduate already in the driver's seat."
Currently, Leong teaches a multimedia storytelling course for diverse, highly capable middle school students with The University of Washington's Robinson Center. She previously served with NPR-affiliate KUOW Public Radio, Town Hall Seattle, and Bellevue Public Schools.
Originally from Honolulu, she now lives in Seattle with her wife, son, and rescue doodle, Radley. ROCK PAPER RADIO is her newsletter and the parent publisher of The Family Court Report.
SUPPORT
The Family Court Report is generously supported by a 2023 Creative Capital Wild Futures: Art, Culture, Impact Award.
Our work is also generously supported by our paid newsletter subscribers and all of our loyal readers who share our stories.
