Number One thing a parent must do in a family law case BEFORE a judge terminates your legal custody or parental rights (tpr) to your child is to ask for a “Statement of Decision” (SOD). What is an SOD and why should you ask for one? An SOD requires your judge to state in writing, how it decided the facts in your case from the evidence and his/her findings against you. Judges usually don’t appreciate a request for a SOD because it requires them to spend additional time explaining their reasoning, and that explanation is usually far short of what is required to terminate (tpr) your legal custody of your child. A parent’s right to the care, control and companionship of (and with) their child is a liberty protected interest in the US Constitution, arguably more important than your freedom from being jailed without cause. The members of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCCnet of collusion) who were most likely used as witnesses against you (or their written reports were used as hearsay evidence) are also not going to appreciate an SOD #NoAFCC. The conventional wisdom is “don’t ask for an SOD unless you fear you are going to lose.”