Reason #1
The numbers:
For 10 years, peers have rated
Elizabeth Crnkovich as failing in 9 out of 11 measures for judicial performance.
1
Poor
2
Deficient
Poor
2
Deficient
Satisfactory
3
Attentiveness (3.08)
Timeliness (2.67)
Opinons (2.85)
Fairness (2.92)
Trial Mgmt (3.02)
Temperament
(1.98)
Legal Analysis (2.64)
Efficiency (2.63)
Punctuality (2.45)
Appropriate Communication (2.00)
Impartiality (2.16)
4
Good
5
Excellent
Elizabeth G. Crnkovich has been the lowest-rated juvenile court judge in the entire state of Nebraska for at least 10 years.
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She has been the second-lowest-rated judge overall in the state for the same time period.
* Every two years, attorneys with the Nebraska Bar Association complete a survey to evaluate the performance of judges. These attorneys use 11 measures including legal knowledge, ethical behavior, judicial competence and fairness, and then determine recommendations for retention.
Reason #2
The History
A judge should practice"appropriate communication: absence of undue personal observations or criticisms of litigants, judges or lawyers; from the bench or in written opinions." ~ One evaluation measure of the Nebraska Bar Association's judicial survey.
Judge Crnkovich has been graded as DEFICIENT in communications for 10 years - which is also a common complaint reported by litigants and attorneys about her erratic, unethical, and impulsive judicial behaviors, which have life-alterning ramifications.
Articles
Read about the various controversies generated by this failed judge.
Judicial Evaluations - Failing grades for Judge Elizabeth Crnkovich - not recommended for retention by the Nebraska Bar Association practicing attorneys.
After hearing many complaints over the years from constituents about Judge Crnkovich, and after determining that the Judicial Qualifications Commission will not hold her accountable, Sen. Ernie Chambers threatens to filibuster any attempt at Douglas County funding a 6th juvenile court judge until she is off the bench.
Judicial Evaluations - Judge Elizabeth Crnkovich remains the lowest rated juvenile court judge and the second-lowest overall judge in the entire state, as evaluated by the Nebraska Bar Association practicing attorneys.
National Coalition for Child Protection Reform (NCCPR) published a report in 2012 on the state of Nebraska Child Welfare. The report was titled "Never Mind The Deck Chairs, Save the Ship."
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One prominent sidebar discusses Juvenile Court Judge Elizabeth Crnkovich's
penchant for punitive approaches to children and their parents - even when the "offense" is a sick child missing some school.
The Anayas were loving parents of several healthy children before their newborn Joel was taken from them at 2 weeks old to force a blood test, required by Nebraska State Law. The parents indicated they opposed the blood test on religious grounds, and argued that none of their other children suffered from the hereditary conditions screened for by the test.
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Judge Crnkovich not only held their newborn in foster care unnecessarily after the blood was drawn, she prevented his nursing mother from feeding him as frequently as he required. This cruel treatment of mother and infant is one more example of her choice to punish people who come before her, outside of the scope of law, ethics and morality. The mother on this case has since passed away.
Nebraska Supreme Court remarks about the cruel and illegal behavior of Judge Crnkovich in the unneccessary continued detention of the infant, Joel Anaya, whom she forced to remain in foster care longer than necessary, and specifically limited his opportunities to nurse.
TV & Internet
Watch videos of newscast stories and Internet content regarding this "lightening rod" judge.
News report about how caring parents were arrested by Judge Crnkovich when the father (a former Marine) attempted to explain why he and his wife had not brought their son to court with them to face the false allegation of "truancy." The father asserted his son had a right to be summoned, which the court had failed to do.
This story reports on how 10 court watchers were ejected from Judge Crnkovich's courtroom after a dpty county attorney falsely alleged that one person was likely recording the proceeding. The judge used the opportunity to deprive citizens of our right to observe her courtroom, and refused to see that the "device" was simply one man's transistor radio.
News report on the efforts of concerned citizens and taxpayers demonstrating at 72nd & Dodge to have Judge Crnkovich removed from the bench for improper judicial conduct and poor performance.
Link
LINK IS COMING:
TV news report of a demonstration at the Douglas County Courthouse, raising public awareness about the campaign to have failed juvenile court judge Elizabeth Crnkovich voted off the bench in November.
DC Commissioners Board Meeting - Televised and archived. Several speakers publicly report on serious observed concerns with a case presided over by Judge Crnkovich. (Scroll to the times within the video listed below).
1:08:30 (Mary Jane Truemper)
1:20:35 (Catherine Yang Wang Anderson)
1:44:10 (Laura McCormick)
1:46:02 (Laurie Flynn)
1:47:00 (Melanie Williams-Smotherman)
DC Commissioners Board Meeting - Televised and archived. Follow - up.
(scroll to the times within the video listed below)
1:55:45 (Laura McCormick discusses GALs and the failings and shocking behaviors of Judge Crnkovich)
2:04:30 - (Catherine Yang Wang Anderson adds more insights to her experience with Judge Crnkovich)
2:08:00 (Laurie Flynn names names and discusses her former case in front of Judge Crnkovich).
And
Radio & Audio
Listen to radio interviews that involve this controversial judge.
Scott Voorhees interviews mother Laurie Flynn (whose children were removed from her on a false allegation by a fired Capstone therapist) and Melanie Williams-Smotherman, director of the Family Advocacy Movement.
Laurie and Melanie share details about how officials (including Judge Crnkovich) abused their power to unnecessarily keep a case open - paying thousands of tax dollars for attorneys (including the judge's attempt to assign a GAL to the mother. (Guardians ad litem for adults undermine their credibility as parents, which hampers their ability to fight for their children's and own interests in court). The judge also used her power to issue an unconstitutional "gag order" against the mother to keep her quiet.
KFAB - Scott Voorhees Show - September 18, 2014
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(and bad judges)
Scott Voorhees show - UPDATE interview from a previous interview with mother Laurie Flynn and Melanie Williams-Smotherman, Director of the Family Advocacy Movement.
This interview also includes Laura McCormick, director of the Nebraska Sunshine Project.
They all discuss the troubling abuses of power exercised by Judge Crnkovich and other officials in the case after Laurie's children were returned to her.
MORE
"I dealt with her for 5 years just for truancy. Speaking for myself, she doesn't want to help anyone. She could care less. She made my juvenile life worse. From house arrest while in middle school to being placed in family services, to being placed with my grandparents (foster home), all because of TRUANCY.
The day she finally released me from probation and court she told me: "If I ever see your name in the juvenile system again, I will throw the book at you, personally." That was at age of 16. I am 27 now, but I remember EVERY detail of everything I went through. She is nothing but a bitter, selfish, power hungry CRIMINAL, in my book.
~ C.M.
"I know at least 30 people that call her judge "circabitc*."
I've only heard horror stories from young kids who made mistakes and spent years paying for them" ~ R.A.
"Ruined my life for 3 years"
~ J.R.
"I didn't have a case myself, but I accompanied a friend to Crnkovich's court as a support. The judge behaved oddly at each hearing. At one hearing, she referred to my friend's female roommate by saying, "Why don't you just admit you are a lesbian?" My friend said, "But I'm not a lesbian." And the judge said, "It looks like a duck. It walks like a duck. It's a duck." And she said she wouldn't return her children until should could be honest with the judge."
~ K.K.
"This lady put me in jail for slouching in a chair one day. She put me and my mom through hell. The first time I met her, I saw her every week from 13-years-old to 20-years-old. My teen years were f****d up, because of this woman." ~ T.F.
"This judge made my life hell when I was a teenager - all for a marijuana charge. She made me stay another 30 days in the halls, because I didn't wear my hearing aids in court. I lost all my teenage years locked up because of her. I will vote her out, and I approve this message"
~ A.L.
"Most unfair judge I have ever come across . Hands down she does not need to be a judge any longer. She abuses the bench." ~ K.R.
I've heard so many people tell horror stories about this judge. I will send them your way. Excellent idea for a documentary. ~ A.V.
testimonials
Learn about what families, youth, and court observers have to say.
A personal account by one of the 10 citizen court watchers ejected from Crnkovich's courtroom on January 27, 2016, which was covered by local news.
KETV - January 27, 2016
An accounting by a parent organizer who co-founded the Nebraska Family Forum (NFF). Autumn Cook reported on a town-hall-style meeting where parents heard Judge Crnkovich promoting the new (2010) over-reaching "truancy law" that unjustly pulled thousands of innocent children and parents into the juvenile court and child welfare system for days missed from school - no matter the reason. That law has since been changed - primarily due to the hard work of the NFF.
Nebraska Family Forum
May 14, 2011
One of several complaints filed by Mr. Crowell to the Judicial Qualifications Commmission regarding failed Douglas County juvenile court judge Elizabeth G. Crnkovich.
NFF - June 19, 2013
What people are saying about Judge Crnkovich
"Before I even knew how to pronounce her name, I heard attorneys refer to her as 'The Baby Eater." They said if their clients brought their children with them to court, they would find anyone to watch them outside of Judge Crnkovich's courtroom, because they knew she would often just decide - on impulse -to take them away from their parents, without a petition being filed.
That's how she became known as "The Baby Eater," because she "eats" babies.
~ B.C.
"I personally dealt with this judge as a juvenile, and she put me in the youth center, lied to me and lied to my parents. She is power hungry and uses her position of power to much." ~ H.B.
"There was no emotion. She just said "group home" and slammed down her little gavel." I spent the next 18 months in group homes for missing school. I had never been in trouble before. I had never been away from my mom for more than 48 hours. I was only 15, and I didn't have a lawyer. I represented myself, and honestly, I didn't know what I was doing. ~ J.Q.
"She was my judge for over a year in drug court.
I was busted with about two grams of weed while camping. She was rude to me, other young people, staff, and parents. She put me on house arrest, took my license, forced me to walk to school, made me attend group meetings 5 days a week, AA 3 times a week and put me in DCYC several times for bogus reasons.
Had I been charged as an adult, I could have paid a small fine and been done with it.
She took numerous kids out of their loving family homes. She is power hungry, disrespectful, unthoughtful, and a nasty lady. I'm glad to see others notice this. I hope she goes, so no one else has to deal with her." ~ N.O.
"Yea she ruined about four years of my life, for nothing. I would love to [share story on film] if it helps keep another kid
from going through what I and many others have been through, due to this lady." ~ J.J.
Many more testimonials will be added soon. Please check back often!
TESTIMONIALS
Reason #3
The Cost
$1,500,000 (one million,
five-hundred thousand dollars)
That is the approximate amount we taxpayers have paid Judge Crnkovich during the past 10 years she has received failing grades on her evaluations, where the majority of attorneys have NOT recommended her for retention. Nebraska families deserve better. So do Nebraska taxpayers.
