When you call a certain family court in Alabama you get a prerecorded message at the courthouse apologizing that no one can take your call. It’s not the weekend and it’s not off-hours. It’s two o’clock in the afternoon on a Tuesday and, as the message explains, budget reductions from the statehouse mean there is no money to staff the line.
This is a family court, where matters at the core of our lives are decided. Marriages are concluded, families are divided and, perhaps most importantly, children are considered. That unanswered call is from a battered spouse trying to get a protection order. It’s a parent trying to get information about a custody hearing.
