Renowned Psychiatrist Takes on Judicial Corruption, Backed by Attorney Bruce Fein, Advocate Dave Weigel, and an Army of Court Reform Warriors
By Richard Luthmann
Authoritarian Quack Judge Faces a Revolt
Judge Jane Gallina-Mecca had long ruled Bergen County Family Court with an iron fist. For years, she tolerated no dissent, but that changed on September 12, 2025. In a packed Hackensack courtroom, Dr. Bandy X. Lee – a Yale- and Harvard-trained forensic psychiatrist – confronted the system head-on.
Dr. Lee, acting as her own attorney, put Gallina-Mecca’s regime on trial over an unconstitutional gag order that had muzzled her speech. Court reform activists and watchdogs filled the pews, eyes fixed on a judge known for fearsome control.
Gallina-Mecca “has already actively intervened” in this case (where the named litigant is Bandy’s sister Patricia) despite being a higher court judge, Dr. Lee noted, suspecting that Guardian ad Litem Evelyn Nissirios “is her front for violating my protected speech.”
The showdown was set: a renowned violence expert versus a family court cartel alleged to cover up horrific abuse.
Bandy Lee pulled no punches.
“Your Honor, this case presents a grave constitutional question: whether the Family Court may silence a citizen… through unconstitutional gag orders and contempt sanctions to chill her speech,” she declared.
She reminded the court that “I have a First Amendment action against you in federal court” – a rare rebuke putting Judge Gallina-Mecca herself under constitutional scrutiny.
The stakes could not be higher. Dr. Lee has accused Bergen’s family court of “trafficking children to their torture, rape, battery, and attempted murder for profit – and Plaintiff Evelyn Nissirios is at the center.” That explosive allegation hung in the air as public supporters nodded in grim agreement.
The iron-fisted judge now faced an even stronger force: the truth, backed by the Constitution and a crowd determined to see it prevail.
Bergen NJ Banana Republic: Guardian ad Litem or Child Trafficker?
Evelyn Nissirios is no ordinary guardian ad litem – at least not according to Dr. Lee. Nissirios was appointed to represent children in the Lee family’s custody saga, but Dr. Lee says this “guardian” is actually a key player in a brutal racket. She accuses Nissirios of using her authority to funnel kids into danger for profit, essentially running “the moral equivalent of a child slave trade.”
In Dr. Lee’s words, Nissirios is “a predator and henchwoman for this slave trade” who routinely tears children from loving parents to enrich herself and her cohorts.
The case at hand illustrates her point. Nissirios claims Dr. Lee “stalked” her by merely attending a public school board meeting – an event Dr. Lee was invited to as an expert. It was only the second time their paths crossed, but that was enough for Nissirios to seek a gag order.
Dave Weigel of the Family Court Fraud Warrior Project broadcast from the courthouse and didn’t mince words: “They are pointing to some bullshit New Jersey case from 2010” that says bumping into someone twice counts as stalking.
Judge Michael Antoniewicz – a judge Nissirios had worked with extensively in the past – dutifully granted the gag order and even muted Dr. Lee’s microphone when she tried to object.
“She almost killed my sister four times,” Dr. Lee said of Nissirios, “now she’s targeting me to hide the truth.”
Lee has even written that Nissirios “would deserve the electric chair in some states, but this court protects her, because she brings in good business.”
It’s a shocking charge that lays bare what Dr. Lee and her supporters dub the “family court cartel” operating in Bergen County.
Bergen NJ Banana Republic: Bandy Lee Stands Her Ground
When the hearing began, the atmosphere was electric. Courtroom 108 was packed with some thirty supporters from multiple states, including New York and Connecticut. Officials even stationed “five police officers in this little tiny courthouse” as a show of force. Dr. Lee stood alone at the defendant’s table
Among those in the gallery was Bruce Fein, the famed constitutional lawyer, there to witness the clash. Judge Antoniewicz could not ignore the dozens of vigilant eyes fixed on him.
Dr. Lee wasted no time on defense. Acting as her own lawyer, she went on the offensive with the Constitution as her “ultimate nullifier.” She even read the First Amendment out loud in court, emphasizing that it prevails over any state gag order.
The judge fidgeted and tried to silence her, but Dr. Lee pressed on.
“I respectfully ask that this Court affirm that the Constitution does not stop at the courthouse door,” she implored.
Her bold stance – virtually unheard of in family court – clearly rattled the bench.
By the hearing’s end, the judge refused to lift the gag order and instead lashed out punitively – ordering Dr. Lee to pay $7,500 to the opposing attorney for the “nuisance” of defending her constiutional rights.
Many in attendance saw the proceeding as a “sham” and a “bastardization” of Dr. Lee’s and all litigants’ First Amendment rights.
Still, the crowd left outraged but galvanized. They had just witnessed a David-vs-Goliath battle that cast a rare light on the inner workings of an institution long shrouded in darkness.
Beyond Bergen: A National Reckoning
Family court corruption is not unique to New Jersey – it’s a nationwide scourge, say reform advocates. What unfolded in Judge Gallina-Mecca’s courtroom is “the kind of shit that goes on in banana republics,” not in a civilized society, in the words of an outraged Dave Weigel. For him, America’s family courts have become “a complete show… a theater of a court” driven by “cash for kids” deals.
The Bergen County saga has exposed how a local judge and GAL could allegedly form a child-trafficking cabal under color of law. And similar stories abound: outside the hearing, a mother from New York described how Judge David Gaden and attorney Elizabeth Faulkner in Ulster County colluded to steal her child, noting Faulkner was “infamous” for helping abusers “destroy you and take your children.”
Each tale follows a chilling pattern – one that has catalyzed a growing grassroots rebellion.
Dr. Lee’s fight is quickly becoming a rallying cry. Her case is already in federal court: she has filed a civil rights lawsuit against Judge Gallina-Mecca, Judge Antoniewicz, and Nissirios, accusing them of conspiring to violate her free speech.
Attorney Bruce Fein, now having witnessed the Bergen hearing firsthand, is taking the battle to the higher arena. He is also helping draft articles of impeachment to hold Judge Gallina-Mecca accountable – a rare step signaling how egregious this situation is.
Court reform activists are also planning a national march on Washington, D.C., in October, aiming to put family court injustice in the spotlight.
What happened in that Hackensack courtroom is not just a local scandal, they insist, but a national crisis. And this army of court warriors has no intention of staying quiet.
