Holburn’s verified motion to disqualify Carasso, filed November 28, lays out concrete proof that Carasso knew exactly who Holburn was and was familiar with Holburn’s hard-hitting reporting long before presiding over her case. Yet Carasso denies it.
In a sworn March statement, the judge claimed she had “no knowledge” of Holburn or her work – a claim Holburn’s motion brands a “material falsehood[] under penalty of perjury.”
The motion cites newly unearthed court records and transcripts showing that Holburn’s name, photo, social media, and articles were injected into court filings and discussed in open court months before Carasso took over Holburn’s case.
“Here not only do we have an appearance of bias, but now actual bias and perjury by a judge,” Holburn’s filing declares, after detailing Carasso’s prior knowledge and denials.
Orange County Superior Court – Lamoreaux Justice Center
Carasso’s refusal to step aside has stunned court watchers and amplified suspicions of impropriety. This isn’t the first time Holburn sought Carasso’s removal. Back in March 2025, Holburn’s attorney moved to disqualify Carasso on similar grounds, only to have the judge strike the motion and brazenly remain on the case.
Now, with even more evidence stacked against her, Carasso’s insistence on clinging to the case reeks of judicial hubris. By law, any judge disqualified for bias must bow out – any orders they issue are void.
But Carasso is barreling ahead, effectively placing herself above recusal rules. The result, critics say, is a shocking breach of public trust in a courthouse already under fire.
The very reporting Carasso claims to know nothing about has, in fact, turned her courtroom into a war zone. Holburn’s investigative coverage of Nolan v. Nolan – a custody battle involving quadriplegic mother Taran “Tar” Nolan – became a flashpoint in Carasso’s courtroom.
Carasso’s Courtroom Bias Bombshell: Tar Nolan (Taran Strong Facebook Inspirational Page. April 28, 2025)
When Holburn published an exposé on the Nolan case in late January, Judge Carasso erupted. In a January 31 hearing, Carasso “lost composure in the courtroom… and threatened a mistrial, severe financial sanctions, contempt charges, and striking expert witness testimony, allegedly citing media coverage as the cause.”
The judge’s outburst, triggered by Holburn’s article, was not just courthouse gossip – it’s documented.
According to Holburn’s motion, Carasso explicitly blamed “public commentary” from Holburn’s articles for supposed “misunderstandings” and unwanted scrutiny of the Nolan proceedings. By Holburn’s account, the judge even mused about declaring a mistrial and redoing hearings, “explicitly tied to my coverage.”
The hostility toward Holburn’s journalism soon bled into the official record. On February 6, 2025, an attorney in Nolan v. Nolan filed a “Court Hearing Leaks” brief that landed on Carasso’s desk – complete with Holburn’s headshot, LinkedIn profile, and screenshots of her articles.
In open court, Carasso herself referenced Holburn’s reporting by name. During a June 11 hearing in the Nolan case, Carasso scolded a litigant over an article Holburn wrote, stating: “Saying you wouldn’t take down the link to the Holburn article… that makes me concerned about the best interest of the children.”
In other words, the judge suggested that a mother’s refusal to censor a journalist was somehow proof of bad parenting. Holburn’s motion notes these damning words came well before Carasso was ever assigned to Holburn’s own case – underscoring that Carasso’s knowledge (and apparent resentment) of Holburn was deeply rooted.
What’s crystal clear is that Julie Holburn’s writing pierced Judge Carasso’s thin skin – and the judge let her fury seep into the courtroom, raising grave questions about impartiality and free press rights.
Carasso’s Courtroom Bias Bombshell: Gag Orders, Lies, and Judicial Payback
Carasso’s handling of the Nolan case set the stage for what Holburn calls blatant retaliation. After the media firestorm, Judge Carasso’s rulings hit like a hammer. In April, Carasso issued a final decision in Nolan v. Nolan that stripped the paralyzed mother of custody and outrageously labeled Nolan as the “primary aggressor” – effectively accusing a wheelchair-bound abuse survivor of being the abuser.
Carasso’s Courtroom Bias Bombshell: Judge Kimberly A. Carasso
Throughout the case, Carasso piled on measures seemingly aimed at silencing and discrediting Nolan and anyone amplifying her story. The judge slapped a “blanket gag order” on Nolan, muzzling the mother from speaking about the proceedings. That gag order, broad and indefinite, is “highly unusual” and likely unconstitutional, observers note.
Carasso also maintained a so-called temporary Domestic Violence Restraining Order against Nolan for over two years – a DVRO obtained on dubious claims by the father. Such a prolonged “temporary” order is virtually unheard of and suggests a gross abuse of the system to gain leverage in the custody fight.
Holburn’s reporting didn’t just rattle Carasso – it seems to have provoked judicial payback.
In her own custody dispute (Holburn is a protective mother herself), Holburn says the judge’s animus has tainted Carasso’s decisions. According to Holburn’s filings, Carasso’s orders against her leaned on “extrajudicial information, hearsay, social-media posts, [Holburn’s] journalism, and [her] First Amendment-protected speech.”
In short, the judge has been using Holburn’s constitutionally protected reporting as a weapon against her in court. All of this directly contradicts Carasso’s sworn denial that she knew anything about Holburn. The picture that emerges is of a judge who not only harbored a personal vendetta but is also willing to twist court proceedings to settle a score.
Every move – from gagging a quadriplegic mom, to painting her as an “aggressor,” to poring over a journalist’s social media – points to a pattern of rulings hostile to public scrutiny and to anyone who dares shine a light on Carasso’s courtroom.
Judge Carasso’s refusal to step aside is being seen as a symptom of a deeper rot in Orange County’s family courts, where critics say secrecy, power plays, and personal vendettas have eclipsed justice. This week, outrage over cases like Holburn’s and Nolan’s spilled into the public square.
Dozens of mothers, fathers, grandparents – and Holburn herself – packed a December 2 Board of Supervisors meeting with heart-wrenching testimony about corruption and abuse in family court.
“These are not isolated incidents… they are symptoms of a systemic breakdown fueled by unchecked power, secrecy, and personal vendettas operating under color of law,” Holburn and fellow advocates wrote in an urgent letter to county leaders the same day.
One by one, speakers detailed how children were handed to abusers despite evidence of harm, protective parents were silenced or even criminalized for seeking help, and journalists were retaliated against simply for writing the truth.
“Parents and journalists face gag orders, contempt, and even arrest for exposing it,” the letter warned starkly.
The DOJ operates out of the Ronald Reagan Federal Building in Southern California.
The public is now demanding action at the highest levels. Holburn and a chorus of supporters have called on Orange County’s leaders to urge a full-fledged federal probe. In their letter to the Board, they demand that the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI launch an independent investigation into Orange County’s family and probate courts.
They are also pressing for a state audit and public oversight hearings to expose what’s been happening behind the court’s closed doors – from sealed cases and gag orders to patterns of retaliation against whistleblowers. The gravity of the allegations “cannot be overstated,” Holburn wrote.
“When disabled parents are punished for the audacity to survive and fight for their kids, and when journalists exposing these truths are targeted with court orders and intimidation – something is profoundly wrong in our system.”
In refusing to recuse herself, Judge Carasso has thrown gasoline on a growing fire. What was once whispered about courtroom misconduct is now a roaring public scandal.
And with calls for DOJ intervention echoing, Carasso’s staunch grip on Holburn’s case may end up prying the lid off a much broader family court corruption crisis in Orange County.
