Why Did Governor Katie Hobbs Veto a Bill That Would Protect Kids From Abuse?
By Richard Luthmann
Arizona’s Family Court Scandal: Hobbs Blocks Bill to Stop Family Court Abuse
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed a bipartisan-backed bill designed to protect children from being forced into controversial “reunification therapy” and shield parents from financial exploitation by court-appointed vendors.
The bill—House Bill 2256—was amended by Senator Mark Finchem and sponsored by Representative Rachel Keshel. It aimed to stop family court judges from ordering one parent to pay for court-mandated reunification services without consent.
These services often involve unlicensed “therapeutic interventionists” and are known for their high cost, questionable methods, and trauma inflicted on children.
Senator Finchem, who chairs the state’s Joint Legislative Ad Hoc Committee on Family Court Orders, did not hold back after the veto.
“This commonsense measure would have safeguarded Arizona’s vulnerable youth from the horrors of court-ordered reunification programs and the financial burdens they pose on parents after divorce proceedings,” said Senator Finchem.
He added, “It is unconscionable that the governor chose to uphold a system that silences victims, strips them of their rights, and allows for abuse under the guise of justice.”
Other advocates were not as charitable to the Governor.
“Parents are bankrupt. Children are being raped, abused, and mutilated. But the so-called unlicensed therapeutic interventionists are reaping benefits from the continuous abuse and flow of money,” Jill Jones Soderman of the Foundation for the Child Victims of the Family Courts (fcvfc.org) said. “Governor Hobbs is a sadist. She stands idly by while children are abused as if there’s nothing wrong.”
Whistleblowers and experts like Soderman say Hobbs is sanctioning institutional child abuse disguised as treatment.
“These programs use coercive psychological tactics to suppress the child’s trauma response and enforce compliance,” Soderman said. “Children are isolated, silenced, and subjected to unlicensed and untrained personnel who not only deny abuse occurred, but who wouldn’t know what to look for in the first place. This is not therapy—it’s state-sanctioned psychological reprogramming that retraumatizes victims and erases their lived experiences.”
Arizona’s Family Court Scandal: A Veto That Protects Abusers?
HB 2256 would have required courts to obtain consent before ordering payment for reunification programs and set higher standards for expert testimony.
Senator Finchem’s amendment was meant to stop what he calls a “profit-driven abuse racket” enabled by family court judges, lawyers, and court vendors.
Hobbs vetoed it anyway.
“This commonsense measure would have safeguarded Arizona’s vulnerable youth from the horrors of court-ordered reunification programs,” Senator Finchem said in a blistering press statement. “You’d think after the family court committee this week, where hundreds of people attended and 1,200 viewed online, Hobbs would realize the significance of this crisis.”
That hearing featured testimony from dozens of families who described traumatic and costly experiences. Several witnesses broke down in tears, describing how their children were forced to reunite with abusers, often after being separated from the protective parent by court order.
HB 2256 was a direct legislative response.
But Hobbs—herself a former social worker and once a member of the state’s Domestic Relations Committee—chose to kill it.
“This decision protects the profit motive and self-dealing facilitated by family court orders,” said Senator Finchem. “With her background, I’d expect more from her. Sadly, I’m not surprised she chose to supply her friends with dirty money over protecting kids.”
Arizona’s Family Court Scandal: Who Benefits from the Reunification Industry?
Reunification programs have been exposed nationwide as profit mills with little regulation. In Arizona, many providers operate without licenses. Yet courts routinely order their services, costing parents thousands.
“It’s a scam,” said a parent who testified at the Ad Hoc Committee hearing. “My child was taken from me and forced to spend weeks with my abusive ex-husband. I had to pay for the privilege.”
Another mother said: “They told me if I didn’t pay $7,500 up front, I’d never see my daughter again. I was being extorted.”
The veto keeps this system alive.
Family court critics allege that political donors, court insiders, and well-connected therapy vendors are lining their pockets while children suffer. They say the veto confirms Hobbs is protecting a rigged game.
“Follow the money,” said Wall Street’s David Weigel, founder of the Family Court Fraud Warrior Project. “These reunification outfits are part of the family court’s fraudulent business model. That’s what Katie Hobbs just greenlit with her veto: state-sanctioned fraud, plain and simple.”
Weigel’s group draws upon quantitative analysis to demonstrate irrefutable factual evidence of systemic malfeasance in the family courts. He thinks the Ad Hoc Committee should explore basic numbers and costs as an essential part of their fact-finding, so that the governor cannot so easily ignore needed reforms without tremendous political and fiscal pressure being brought to bear.
“Compared to the entire corrupt feast by lawyers, guardians ad litem, and other family court appointees, the Title IV-D, Title IV-E, and VAWA money, for example, accounts for a substantial tranche of the feeding trough,” Weigel said. “That’s all federal funding, which involves the DOJ and DOGE. How much does Senator Finchem and Representative Keshel’s bill save taxpayers alone? And we’re not even beginning to talk about private citizens driven to the financial brink.”
Weigel has called for DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz to investigate family court systems across the country, and he feels politicians like Katie Hobbs are complicit in wholesale government waste, fraud, and abuse.
Arizona’s Family Court Scandal: Civil Rights for Sale
Senator Finchem labeled the veto a civil rights issue.
“Children have the right to be protected from court-ordered abuse. Parents have the right not to be forced to fund trauma,” one Arizona father said. “Governor Hobbs sided with the predators.”
Arizona’s family courts have been under fire for years. Critics claim the system weaponizes custody proceedings, enriches insiders, and punishes parents—especially mothers—who speak out.
Now, thanks to Hobbs, reform is stalled.
Senator Finchem and others vow to keep fighting.
“This is not over,” he said. “The people of Arizona deserve a family court system that protects children, not predators. And they deserve a governor who chooses victims over cronies.”
CONTACT INFORMATION
If you want to voice your opinion about Governor Hobbs’ veto or support future reform legislation, let her know:
Mailing Address:
Office of the Governor
1700 W. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85007Phone: Main Line: (602) 542-4331
Email: You can send a message via the official contact form: Contact Governor Hobbs
Social Media: Connect through her official Facebook page: Governor Katie Hobbs on Facebook
You can also contact the local state senators. The Arizona Senate Republicans’ website lists emails and phone numbers for all key legislators.
