Primer
What a SAPCR actually is — and why the label matters
Suits Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship carry different rules than divorce. Knowing which statute your judge is working from changes what you can ask for.
Aug 4, 2026 · 6 min
Dallas · Tarrant · Collin · Denton · Rockwall · Ellis
What happens in a North Texas family court, written down.
We document suits affecting the parent-child relationship — hearing by hearing, order by order. When a docket moves faster than the truth, somebody should have a record of it.
- 6
- counties under regular observation
- 23
- SAPCR reports published this year
- 11 min
- shortest hearing we have timed
Latest dispatches
The blogField guide
How to read a North Texas family docket before you walk in
Dallas, Tarrant, Collin and Denton publish more than most people realize. Here is what to pull and what each entry tells you about how your hearing will go.
Jul 22, 2026 · 9 min
Analysis
Temporary orders are rarely temporary
Once a possession schedule survives six months, courts treat it as the status quo. That single dynamic explains a large share of the outcomes we document.
Jul 8, 2026 · 5 min
Recent case files
All reports →Report No. NTX-2026-014
Tarrant County
The amicus who never met the child
A modification suit affecting the parent-child relationship in which the court-appointed amicus attorney billed for 22 hours of work yet, by their own testimony, never conducted a home visit or spoke with the six-year-old at issue.
Report No. NTX-2026-009
Dallas County
Emergency removal on a two-paragraph affidavit
Children were removed following an ex parte order supported by an affidavit that contained no first-hand observation and repeated a single anonymous hotline call.
Report No. NTX-2026-021
Collin County
A gag provision that swallowed the record
A temporary order barred both parents from discussing the case 'with any third party,' a term the court later read to include a licensed therapist and a state complaint office.
Submit your court orders for review
If you are a parent with unsealed orders, findings, or hearing transcripts from a North Texas SAPCR case, you can send them to us for review. Our team reads every submission, checks it against the public docket, and — with your consent — may publish it as a documented case study with children's identifying details removed.
- 01Email your documents as PDF or clear photos to the address on the right.
- 02Include the county, cause number, and a short description of what happened.
- 03Tell us whether CPS was involved and whether you consent to publication.
- 04We reply with next steps; nothing is published without your written consent.
Only submit records that are unsealed and lawfully in your possession. Sealed or confidential documents will not be reviewed or published.
Contact
Case submissions
casestudy@brokensystemarchives.orgAttachments up to 25 MB. We typically respond within five business days.
Email your documentsAn empty gallery is an invitation. A full one is a check.
Our courtroom watch program puts trained volunteers in the gallery of family courts across North Texas, taking structured notes on how hearings are actually conducted.
See how it works