This hearing has been rescheduled for June 30, 2006 at 9 a.m. in the Senior Judge Courtroom located at 330 S. Third Street, Suite 1120. Judge J. Charles Thompson will consider an extension of an emergency temporary protective order granted June 21.
Judge Thompson has decided no cameras will be allowed inside the courtroom for this hearing. Reporters may attend, however, temporary protective order hearings may be closed to the public upon request of either party to the action.
June 28th, 2006 at 1:27 pm
Now that Judge Steven Jones has been arrested for domestic battery, the Commission on Judicial Discipline has more than adequate cause to look into his past complaints, rulings and cases.
While divorce attorneys have continually stated that Jones is “highly-respected” and should be retained, the litigants often don’t agree.
In 1997 and 1998, the Legislative Subcommittee ACR-32 allegedly conducted an investigation to determine if Clark County Family Court should be abolished. Jones had more serious complaints from litigants than any of his peers and never once appeared at the committee. I was one of those litigants and his actions and inaction on the bench during my case prompted me to become an activist for family court reform.
Jones destroyed my fatherhood in a minute when my children needed me most at ages 5. 7 and 9. He allowed opposing counsel, Rhonda Mushkin, to run the court room with continual crass false allegations and personal attacks against me. Jones would not even allow me to defend myself. The end result of what Jones did to my family in 1995 is painful to think about and has everlasting effects on many people.
The Commission on Judicial Discipline is impotent. The recent LA Times series on Nevada courts found the same. Most who have complained to this entity have the same form letters stating that no judicial cannon violations were found.
Jones should have been removed from the bench in 1997. The Commission or needs to do it’s job and dispose of him just as he disposed of families for more that a decade.
WHAT JONES DID IN MY CASE
In 1995, a Chicago family court judge, allowed my ex-wife to remove our children to Las Vegas Nevada. I also relocated to Nevada and appeared in front of Jones requesting more time with my children. Jones postponed the hearing for 6 months claiming “Illinois still had jurisdiction.†All parties were Nevada residents.
In 1996, I again petitioned the court for more time with my children. I was denied and they raised my child support payments. Jones allowed the opposing attorney, Rhonda Mushkin, to make numerous false allegations against me in court and he would not allow me to defend myself.
My ex, who had since remarried, had a household income of more than $130,000. Both her and her spouse, her third husband, both worked for a major airline and had transferred to Las Vegas with secure employment and many years seniority. I was trying to get work in a new town in which I knew no one. I did secure a few jobs, but Mushkin sent derogatory letters to my employers and they did not want me there. One employer said to me “I received a letter from your ex-wife’s attorney, you have too many problems, and I don’t think things are going to work out here for you.â€Â
My children, 5, 7, and 9 at the time, were told to call their step-father “Daddy†and me “Al.†I could not speak to them on the phone, see them at school plays, could not enroll them in any activities. Yet I resided just 5 minutes away from them.
Jones only permitted me to see my children 5 days per month. He treated my parents, the same way after they also relocated from Chicago to Nevada to be near their only grandchildren.
My ex-wife began taking my children to Child Psychiatrist Corydon G. Clark. He had been formerly disciplined by the California Medical Board for molesting his young boy patients in a hot tub. Clark put all three children on amphetamines against my will. They claimed all 3 children suffered from ADHD. I claimed they were sad and acting out from the loss of their father. I had no rights at all, just occasional visits. Jones and Mushkin stopped all my attempts to be a loving and involved father.
I was unable to take my children to any counseling as Jones denied me my right to joint legal custody.
In 1996, my daughter alleged physical abuse from her mother; visible marks were on her body. A friend that was a former California Child Protection Supervisor witnessed the injuries and received testimony from my daughter. She reported it to Brad Reitz, the Principal at Bartlett Elementary School in Henderson Nevada. Instead of obeying the laws as a mandated reporter, he alerted the perpetrator and my daughter was reprimanded by her mother and step-father for alleging the abuse.
At one hearing Jones ordered me to undergo a Psychological evaluation with a well known court appointed Psychologist. The findings did not report any serious psychological problems, just depression from being denied fatherhood.
Upon my motion to have my ex evaluated, I was denied. I did and still do believe she suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder.
In 1997, I formed the Coalition for Family Court reform. The Nevada Legislature conducted hearings at Subcommittee ACR-32 to determine if Clark County Family Court should be abolished. Most of the complaints from litigants that testified were against Jones.
I made a complaint with the Commission on Judicial Discipline. I received a form letter, as most did, stating that he did not commit any cannon violations. The Commission protects judges, not the litigants.
My children have suffered dearly from the loss their father. Their step-father and mother divorced in 2002.
My children are all grown up now and I missed being a daddy. And they missed me.
If you have a complaint against Jones, please post it on this site. This judge must be stopped from abusing everyone he chooses.
Alan DiCicco, Founder
Coalition for Family Court Reform
PO BOX 7013
Kingman, AZ 86402
702-355-1840
http://www.familycourtreform.org
July 1st, 2006 at 9:37 pm
Everything that has been reported about Judge Jones makes him out to be some kind of monster. I want to shed a little light on the unknown of Judge Jones. He has a mother that has been in a wheelchair for decades due to the effects of MS. He has cared for and continues to care for her in an amazing way. He has been a wonderful, caring son to both of his parents. He has also been an incredibly supportive brother to his three sisters. He has stood by them in good times and bad. Hopefully the law in this current case will work its way to the truth, and if Judge Jones is guilty then he should be held accountable. But, he is certainly no monster. There are two sides to every story. For certain he is a son and brother that loves his family and supports them in an admirable way.
July 6th, 2006 at 4:04 pm
So, he cares for his family. So what. Most people do care for their own family. If he cared about my fatherhood and my children, that would have impressed me.
That claim that he does care for his family has nothing to do with how he behaves as a judge and how he treats his women.
There are two sides to a story. One side has the truth. It takes an evidentiary hearing to determine the truth. Jones doen’t like evidence; he likes arbitray biased rulings.
He has abused his power on numerous occassions and violated many peoples civil rights.
Jones is a discrace to the judiciary. Search the Internet for the Nevada Legislative Subcommittee ACR-32 testimony and minutes.
Jones used his position as a family court judge to kidnap my children and extort my money. He is a criminal in a black robe. Look at his past campaign contributions when he ran for The Nevada Supreme Court. Why did the Bugle and many divorce attorneys contribute to his campaign?