Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

"Vivek Sankaran, the director of the Child Advocacy Law Clinic at the University of Michigan, said jury trials can sometimes work in favor of parents in CPS cases because it takes the decision away from solely the judge. 'In some ways, it makes a lot of sense to me because the definitions of neglect and abuse are so broad that community norms and standards are important to interject,' Sankaran said.

"But there are drastic differences in the way CPS operates in big cities, which see a much higher volume of cases, and rural towns, where there can be greater scrutiny of minor infractions. Tiny Clare County reports confirmed abuse and neglect at nearly double the rate of the state's most populous county, Wayne, which encompasses Detroit. And in cases involving a child with gender variance, community bias - particularly in communities that are just beginning to navigate these issues - can affect the outcome. Katee's second trial took place four months after Donald Trump was elected president in 2016; he received 64 percent of the vote in Clare. 'One of the most significant effects of the Trump election is the boldness with which people are willing to express their anti-transgender beliefs,' said Orr, Katee's attorney. 'And we saw that, I think most starkly, initially in the increase in custody disputes involving trans kids.'"

-- from "She Supported Her Child Being Trans. So the State Separated Them. Is the case of Katee Churchill just the beginning?" by Roxanna Asgarian, New York Magazine, 2021-12-15 [bold emphasis added]