A Day in Part 15: Law and Order in Family Court

by Richard Ross, Jimmy Breslin (Introduction)

A family court judge in the Bronx, New York, chronicles a typical day in the nation's busiest family court, offering a play-by-play description of the adoption, paternity, child abuse, and other cases that threaten to overwhelm the system. IP.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1997

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read Judge Ross's piece "Precious Little Babies" in the online version of the Deronda Review; http://www.derondareview.org/precious... has the first part of five. I would recommend the article over the book. I found that the article, organized as it was around themes, made for a much more poignant and compelling piece. He clearly communicated a specific message in each message, and one concludes the article feeling just as he intended - grieving what has happened to these children, once someone's "precious little babies."

I'm not sure what the intended message of the book was, other to provide a "slice of life" of a family/juvenile court judge. I felt exhausted on finishing the book: my dominant impression was about the volume and weight of his caseload, which he emphasizes at several points. However, I also had the sense that he cares about the litigants in these cases and he didn't really intend for the book to be about him so much as about them. In fact, most of the book is about their stories - and how mental health assessments and in camera interviews of the child seem to solve all mysteries. The book would have benefited from more focus and a clearer theme, as he demonstrated powerfully in "Precious Little Babies."

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the Bronx, where I work for a law guardian office which represents children in Bronx Family Court. Very representative of what law guardians and the others involved do day to day. This guy sounds nice compared to some of the judges I've heard about from my colleagues.

[Edmond Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific, compassionate view of a very difficult job -- family court judge. A very helpful friend who opened up his courtroom for unrestricted observation of the terribly difficult and wrought cases that must be decided in the world of family law and custody.

[Sadaf Trimarchi · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a veteran family court employee, I enjoyed this stroll down memory lane. Judge Ross tells it like it is and captures the real life rough and tumble of high volume case loads in NYC courts.

[Sue Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gave me the info I was looking for. Easy read.