Reader comments
Child welfare worker describes FLDS ranch as 'scary environment'

"we know we're not being fair ... but life's not always fair."

Thanks, Judge.

Isn't this the same judge that ordered the raid? How is that being fair and unbiased? This should be tried by jury. This is a constitutional right!

It is nice to see the defenders doing their job and blasting this trial for the sham it is. I just don't see how anything they say or do will sway this judge. She has already made up her mind and will inevitably rule to take these children away. Hopefully the FLDS will appeal this decision and take it to the Supreme Court of the United States if necessary so they will get a fair trial by jury and not be subject to the prejudice of any judge.

I do not support the FLDS Church in any way but it is a travesty to have these children treated this way. They should be returned to their mothers and the FBI should investigate to find the imposter who made the orignal complaint. I suspect that call came from someone of a different faith.

One problem of getting this kids back to their mothers, they don't know which one of all these women are their mothers.

This judge has stepped in it Big Time. She authorized everything that has been done and now she gets to sort it all out and deal with the mess she almost single handedly has created. Enjoy!

This is Communism at it's finest. For all the ones fighting over seas for our so called freedom, thank you, but Texas takes the lead in moving this county closer to Communism. What is the FLDS guilty of? Adultry period. If the Texans want to press charges for that then they better have many of their own judges and government officials line up for that as well, I'm sure they are also guilty of adultry. Way to go Texas.

"she wanted genetic samples collected from each child and each parent in her case, a psychiatric exam and counseling for the children, and that the children be placed outside the five-county area that is within the jurisdiction of this court."

So you make a call claiming the neighbors kids, who you think run wild, are abused and this is what is standard due process in Texas. Is this the reason people are having less kids?

The overzealous actions of the police and Child Welfare is now coming back to haunt them. This thing will be still going when the kids qualify for Social Security.

The judge has obligations under the law, so she better do what the law states. Perfect or not. She issued the warrants, so quit whinning and get this 5 year trial underway. The state political reps already said they would finance it.

CNN this morning said that when they requested DNA testing etc., Texas law automatically requires that each child now be represented individually by an attorney. Get ready for 416 lawyers to fill up the courtroom...

My comment on this story is simple. These parents have had thier rights violated in the worst way and so have these children. I still have not heard any proof of the allegations of abuse. I am not in this lifestyle but I am a mother and my heart goes out to these parents. They are in my prayers. I don't agree with abuse but I have not seen or heard any proof. I live very close to this trial and really wish I could be there to support those parents but I can still pray if I can't be there.

Communisim at it's finest. Thanks Texas for taking the lead toward totalatariam.

I think that they did what is right but needed to tell the women before they took them what was going to happen. They should also find the so called " Sarha". She may just be a fake.

Go Mary Batchelor! I am glad that you are there giving your support! The lawyers objecting to the hearing are awesome, my prayers are with the families who have been separated.

Hopefully these children will be reunited with their families soon. Our prayers are with them.

Notice how no FDLS men were reported to be at the court house. What, they don't care about their children, or do they know if they send only the women it looks better.

"Richard, one of the polygamist fathers who has a 3-month-old child in state custody in the San Angelo Coliseum, tried to enter the courthouse today but finally gave up because the lines were so long"

Just how sad is that in the USA? You are on trial, your child's future and possible life (if the 3 year old is put into an abusive foster home and killed) and you can't even get into the courtroom. How on eartch can this be due process? I have seen them investigate cases in communist china with more concern for the actual people involved than this.

Good procedural reporting so far. Please stay with what the Judge and the lawyers say, so we can see if the parents and children are actually receiving due process in a true evidentiary hearing where the attorneys for parents and children can cross-examine the State's witnesses. That cross-examination is the adversarial hearing which Texas Family Code and Federal court cases actually require.

Grab your popcorn. We're going to see some brilliant lawyering from these pro bono attorneys in from the big cities of Texas.

Judge Barbara Walther, and CPS Commissar Ellen Griffith, seem to be in a great hurry to steal these
children. Poor Barbara is loosing patience with the rule of law, and seems to care less about truth.
Commissar Ellen wants to take the children out of the county and disperse them into surrounding county
jurisdictions, so the parents will have to fight in
multiple courts for their children.
They clearly have no case and are trying to drag out
the scam, hoping for the parents to being worn down.
This is JUST like the Mark Nifong hack job that was
done to the Duke students. The U.S. Attorney General
should step in Now,and stop this Witch Hunt.
The Texas officials responsible, should be arrested
and tried for corruption, and under the RICO laws,for conspiring to kidnap 400+ children, then sell them through the Child Prostitution Service.
I wonder how much money will be made, in the selling
of these children through the Adoption Service. It is not cheap adopting children.