Posted on 05/13/2012 9:39:27 AM PDT by SmithL
Last December, a 12-year-old boy was baptized in a Karns Baptist church.
Four months later, his mother went to jail as a result.
"I was in complete shock," Stephanie "Stacy" Miller recalled of the day in April when Knox County Fourth Circuit Court Judge Bill Swann ordered her jailed. "The guy had to drag me down the hallway. I was like, 'I just had my son baptized.' I laid my head (on the arresting deputy's) shoulder and just cried, 'Please, help me.'"
Swann's controversial decision is raising questions about the use of the state's criminal contempt law to punish parents in divorce disputes, the inclusion of religion in parenting plan agreements, the influence of parents on a child's religious choices and the age at which a child should be allowed to make decisions of faith.
That Stacy Miller's son was baptized at Grace Baptist Church in Karns in a Dec. 18 ceremony attended by his father, Stephen Miller, is not in dispute. That Stacy Miller went to jail in late April at her ex-husband's behest is also not a matter of debate.
Almost everything else about the case is, however, hotly contested.
The controversy began when 12-year-old Caleb Miller, a regular attendee at Grace's Wednesday night youth services, announced a decision to be baptized.
The boy would later testify at a deposition that he "made a profession of faith" in Jesus Christ as savior — the overriding tenet of Christianity — while his parents were still married.
(Excerpt) Read more at knoxnews.com ...
Stephen Miller attended the baptism. Soon after, however, he filed a contempt of court action against Stacy Miller, alleging she had violated the couple's parenting plan.He seems to have created a martyr out of Stacy. He's also a jerk.
Tennessee is going to immensely regret taking this step in governing private matters.
“Tennessee is going to immensely regret taking this step in governing private matters.”
Tennessee or some dude named Bill Swann?
I would say the judge is also a jerk. You expect the ex to be a jerk, but why do the courts play this game?
She must be assimilated to the Borg. They are just doing their duty. She will thank them, once she has been completely absorbed.
Translation: He is a bundle of sticks who is really an aetheist and hates any Biblically-based religion.
The guy sounds like he has contempt for his wife, and is using his son. Since the divorce is final, he lost control over the family, and doesn’t like losing the power he once held. No wonder they are divorced.
This government thinks 12 year olds are perfectly old enough to make decisions on sex without parental influence though.
However, I lived in Tennessee for 13 years and had occasion to observe their legal system. Some of their judges are the most ignorant, lazy, stupid, ill mannered and ill bred people on earth. And this case sounds 100% like a case where the ex husband's lawyer and the judge are poker playing buddies.
Ngát?
Some I know had the choice of using this Judge or one in the district where his children had been absconded.
Because Swann is a known woman hater (essentially), and he had findings of fact from child protective regarding child abuse, issues of kidnapping, custodial interference, domestic abuse, family history of abuse of all sorts, this foolish person thought he would take the high road and get a judge which would not allow the other party to simply say the judge hates women (which she would have done to herself and her children).
Unfortunately for him, the unknown judge spent lots of time with her attorney, ignored several dozen instances of perjury, disregarded the CPS findings, ignored the law in numerous areas, made up his own laws, allowed farcical, nonsupported by the worksheets child support rulings, and found the father in contempt when the clerk would not take his ordered payments...
In Swann’s court, even if you feel he was biased or wrong, he goes down the list of considerations point by point to justify his positions. The father would have had his evidence considered in writing. The mother in the above case would have gotten the maximum contempt sentence for each count of perjury or obstruction.
I think he goes too far, especially with his anti smoking position and his godlike insistence on respect for the court and his decisions (i.e. this contempt issue above), but as far as East Tennessee judges go, he’s probably a straighter arrow than most.
Lessons learned: the devil you know is probably better than the devil you don’t (Obama or Clinton, anyone?).
Never take the “high road” in legal matters - it is too much of a crap shoot, and the dice are loaded.
If you can avoid court, do so at any livable cost, if not, it is life or death, fight accordingly.
Oh, c’mon. 98% of judges are jerks, or they wouldn’t be where they are.
To some people this would be the very definition of unreasonable search and seizure...
The Judge is the real jerk here.
The father attended the baptism, that indicates acquiescence if not approval.
To then demand this woman be put in jail 4 months later is an outrageous waste of the Court’s time. They are not going to un-do a Baptism. It is a MOOT point.
Further, this father’s history does NOT indicate that he takes religion seriously. Rather it shows he is ambivalent about it, which is fine, but I don’t think he can be permitted to inflict that ambivalence on his son and ex-wife.
For the Judge to send this woman to jail over this is a complete travesty.
If I were she I’d move for full custody of the child as the father has shown that he is hostile to her and indifferent to the well being of his child.
And if that Judge is elected I’d try very hard to get him ousted, and if he not elected I’d try very hard to get him impeached.
TN does have some crazy family court and probate judges.
Here in Nashville both Muriel Robinson and Carol Soloman...both women have married over and over and over
Randy Kennedy in probate...
crazy rulings
electing nuts
Next Generation Air Transportation system.
Okay.
Divorces can be exceedingly mean, and the amount of willful pain that people can inflict on each other is amazing. This is why overlap in their lives afterwards must be planned with great caution.
Ah, just typical, the parent must promote a plan, but then the plan is the government's plan.
All these divorces are all about is about paying some CPS or Education whore who will indoctrinate the child.
Any pro-Christian parent is on the hit list, and the parent (gay) who sides with the state's agenda of brainwashing the child to worship the judge and whatever garbage that "expert" is deeming to be "harmful" to the child gets the accolades.
This is the same program that communist Obama is promoting... This is all for lawyer and government to pocket child support and rearing moneys while telling the tax paying parents who are not properly represented to STFU.
YEp, this is Amerika, Brazile, Nazi Germany and the SOviet Union... no shame.
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