Project SPOTLIGHT is a statistical research programme which has as its goal identifying family court judges whose record of rulings demonstrates a clear and evident bias against fathers.

World Fathers Union routinely receives reports from both fathers and attorneys which complain about specific judges treating them unfairly. These complaints are not sufficient in themselves to justify demanding an official investigation into that judge's conduct. This should not be taken as a condemnation of the complainer: It is common for men going through the agony of trying to regain their children to have difficulty maintaining an objective perspective, just as it is common for anyone in such an emotion-ridden state of crisis. The fact remains that some of the complaints will be justified, whilst others won't. This is the reality of our world.

But when several complaints are received by World Fathers Union about the same judge, it can trigger an investigative overview by the Project SPOTLIGHT research group. If that overview indicates that there is indeed some fire beneath all the smoke, a full study on that judge will be commissioned, a research team will be assembled, and the study will be completed and published.

Why is this programme necessary?

While it is an accepted fact that there is a fundamental bias against fathers in the family courts of virtually all democratic nations, the experience of those working to change this institutional bias has been frustrating, and effective change has been glacially slow or non-existant. In many jurisdictions, laws and Supreme Court decisions already exist that indicate clearly fathers must be given equal status when custody decisions are made. But entry-level courts routinely ignore these dicta, 'in the bests interests of the child.' No phrase in the legal lexicon has been so overworked or misapplied as that one, but what it says is what we all wish for nonetheless.

The fact is that family court judges are invested with an enormous amount of what is called 'discretionary authority'...and this leaves an almost unlimited number of ways for these judges to interpret the evidence as they please. Only for the small number of litigants who can pay the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund the appeals process can the family court judge's ruling be challenged...and even then, only where the judge has made identifiable errors of law or fact.

This situation leaves many men with no recourse to a fair hearing for their children at any level, and what is worse, judges know this--so those who might be tempted to abuse their authority know they can do so with little or no fear of being called to account. In any society which holds Justice to be one of the sacred concepts of its fabric, this is unacceptable.

When the legislated mechanisms for preventing and redressing judicial wrongs do not function for a large portion of the people who need it, another mechanism--that of public scrutiny and comment--must take its place.

The Project SPOTLIGHT programme was designed to fill this void. It accomplishes this by analysing the decision records of individual family court judges, and comparing that with the general record of the rest of the judges serving in the same court. When a judge is identified by his own record as being wildly 'off the curve' compared to other judges in his court, World Fathers Union will prepare a statistical report demonstrating that and issue it to the press.

What does Project SPOTLIGHT hope to accomplish?

In this way, World Fathers Union will 'spotlight' those judges whose performance shows an evident bias against fathers, and will do so in a way which is transparent, above board, and not subject to allegations of bias on our own part. There is no opinion or theorising involved in any Project SPOTLIGHT study. Only hard, verifiable fact drawn from the public record is used as data in the studies.

It is our conviction that these studies will oblige justice ministers to take notice, and to take appropriate action. Further, in jurisdictions where judges are elected, as they are in many parts of the United States, such judges will have to answer for their bias to the people they serve at the next election.

And in all jurisdictions, all judges will know they are being watched by the people they are sworn to serve. This, we firmly believe, will help keep them honest and fair, and will aid the children and fathers who appear before them to have a better chance at equitable treatment in their courtrooms.

How can you help?

The World Fathers Union needs volunteers to conduct the research for Project SPOTLIGHT. For every judge who is investigated, we must read and analyse hundreds of court decisions, and tabulate the results that we find. You can become a researcher if you have the following qualifications:

•You will need an internet connection or access to a law library
• You will need a basic familiarity with judge's decisions and legal terminology.
• You should have a basic familiarity with Microsoft 'Spreadsheet' or Excel or similar programs.

We need readers who can read different languages, too. If you read French, Spanish, German, Italian, or any other language, your help on files investigating allegations of judicial bias in bilingual or non-English countries will be invaluable.

If you qualify and would like to help expose judges who are unworthy of the high office they hold, please register as a member and send us an e-mail indicating your interest in this project. Remember: all volunteers remain anonymous. The final report will be signed in the Union's name, and only your anonymous member-name will appear in it. You will know who you are...but the judges will not.

World Fathers Union is an all-volunteer research and outreach NGO. We work to foster cooperation and unity amongst fathers-aid groups worldwide working for equity in the family courts of all nations. We do statistical research, compilation, and analysis of trends in social and legislative policy affecting fathers and children, and we provide outreach programs to fathers and children in distress worldwide. Membership in the Union is free, anonymous, and open to everyone.

World Fathers Union, P.O. Box 278, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia B5A 4B2. www.worldfathersunion.com