I am absolutely disgusted with Judge Thomas A. Smith and the Courthouse in Placerville. Within the Family Law division, if you are not represented, you are pushed to the side without the ability to speak or practice any of the rules that our amended rights and Constitution upholds. Judge Thomas does not follow the rules of the courtroom and is the definition of what poor civil rights consists of when given the power to discriminate and hold power against those who are unrepresented. Within the beginning of my trial, Judge Smith first declined my right to obtain Discovery from my ex and his attorney. My ex and his attorney declined to answer Discovery even though I previously had a court order that they must provide me with the documents. I asked Judge Smith for a continuance but it was declined. He could care less if I had any evidence or exhibits. His mind was already made up before the the trial began. When the trial began, I proceeded to make my opening statement. Judge Smith did not allow me to make my opening statement. Judge Smith automatically and immediately let the Respondent’s witnesses testify over and over without ever letting me explain afterwards the issues at hand. I wanted to bring my witnesses to the stand but was unable to do so. None of my witnesses testified. Then at the end of the day, Judge Smith told my exes attorney to go print up a new DissoMaster(my ex and I already had our own DissoMasters in place); whatever my ex and his attorney thought was reasonable; then he stated that whatever he brings back to him, he will sign as a permanent ruling. Therefore my exes attorney brought up the lowest amount he could get away with and Judge Smith signed it. Judge Smith would not let me explain how much my ex was receiving in pay(in which I did not have to since it was stated right on his paycheck). Judge Smith just took whatever word was from my exes attorney(which was $ 3500 lower each month). I now will have to appeal my case. The worst part about this entire incident is that Judge Smith had a Public Admonishment a few years back due to unlawfully handling private, official documents from the Department of Motor Vehicles. Judge Smith knows that my ex has been related and close to the boss of the Department of Motor Vehicles for the whole State of California who happened to be directly under and reported consistently to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Secondly, Judge Smith also knows that I had filed a 170.1 on another judge in the Placerville Courthouse for not being able to talk or express my testimony due to being unrepresented, as well as numerous other conditions, such as making my son wait for almost a month to get emergency surgery in which he had to be on hard painkillers for the entire time. I tried to expedite with an Ex Parte and the Judge refused. I had also tried to get an order for my ex to pay for representation for me and the prior judge declined that as well. I have been raising our kids 100% of the time. My ex does not want to have anything to do with our kids. He has been violently abusive and I have lots of evidence to prove it, although Judge Thomas did not want to hear anything about it. Judge Thomas A. Smith in the El Dorado County area should not be practicing as a judge due to several incompetencies through the years, but also not following civil procedure. He has violated Canon 2A and Canon 2B as well as a strew of others. This man’s ego is completely overblown and he is most definitely using his power for his own concerns. I will be petitioning and protesting these issues as well as reporting this to the Council of Judicial Performance once my trial is completely over. Not all judges, but some are extremely bias against the party without an attorney because they think they can get away from it. I will fight this to the end; not for myself, but for those poor women and men that are unable to collect enough money for representation, in which some of them have small children and work that they must make those issues their main concern. I am willing to be an advocate for these people and not let this form of moral and ethical manner take over our judicial system. A court is where one should go to get fair and equal treatment; a fair and just trial. If we have judges that come in and make up their own rules as they go, we will never uphold the standards that were brought forth in the Declaration of Independence or our United States Constitution. We must all stick together because one day it may be your brother, friend, mother, child or someone who is cared about deeply. We need to stop this now before it becomes a controlled dictatorship. I know that sounds a tad bit strong but times are changing fast and we need to prepare for our children, grandchildren and their future!
