Recommendation to reject nomination of Atty. Megan Christopher to Massachusetts Family and Probate Court
PRESS RELEASE Press contacts: Joe Ureneck, Chair, 857-350-0757 Dr. Peter G. Hill, Media Spokesperson, 781-772-2500 Recommendation to reject nomination of Atty. Megan Christopher to Massachusetts Family and Probate Court The Fatherhood Coalition urges the Governors Council to reject the nomination of Ms. Megan Christopher. Atty. Christopher’s response to The Fatherhood Coalition’s questionnaire and her presentation at her nomination hearing make it clear that she will not be a fair- minded and impartial Justice in the Family and Probate Court System. Attorney Christopher testified she predominately represented women, not men, at Metro West Legal Services which was responsible for the issuance of over 1,500 restraining orders, actions which routinely deprive a man of his fundamental right to face their accuser and have a jury trial. The Fatherhood Coalition questions how many of these 1,500 or more restraining orders in which Atty. Christopher was involved allowed a mother to check off a box, without any reason required, and resulted in an order of no-contact of the child with their father. How carefully did Ms. Christopher vet these complaints and analyze both sides of the story? Our concern is that Ms. Christopher, as is commonly the case under MGL 209A orders, did not properly vet those complaints, and thus allowed women to effectively say to their children that their dad abandoned them, when in fact, checking off that box by the mother created loss of contact and a relationship with the father. The Fatherhood Coalition recommends a review of all 1500 of these restraining orders and their effects on the children and families before approval of Atty. Christopher’s nomination. This history of potential restraining order abuse under MGL 209A, without proper due process and the lack of all parties of the right to face their accuser, is a serious concern, especially in judicial nominations. The Governor’s Council should not rubber stamp Atty. Christopher’s nomination. The Fatherhood Coalition recommends that it reject Ms. Christopher nomination at this time and that prior to any further consideration as a judicial nominee her role in the domestic abuse system be further studied. Thank you. The Fatherhood Coalition www.fatherhoodcoalition.org support@fatherhoodcoaltion.org