Sara just received a copy of the order from her most recent hearing, and it quickly became clear: Judge Menges knows he’s lost control. In a desperate attempt to maintain authority, he’s resorting to even more illegal actions, building on the mistakes he’s already made. What was once a blatant overstep has now turned into an outright disregard for the law.
Sara’s custody case is currently on appeal. That means the trial court no longer has jurisdiction over the case. The judge cannot modify the order. He cannot impose new conditions. He cannot create new rights or alter existing ones. This is not a gray area. The Superior Court issued a partial stay that spelled it out clearly. The trial court may enforce the existing order, but it cannot change it.
But Judge Menges is ignoring that.
In a blatant attempt to get around appellate rules, Menges invented something he’s calling “civil probation.” This term has no basis in Pennsylvania law. It does not exist. But by using this made up concept, he’s trying to push through changes to a custody order he legally cannot touch.
One of the conditions of this so called probation is that Sara must sign new releases for the children’s confidential records. But she already signed releases. They were drafted by an attorney and are fully legally compliant. They are ready to be used. The only reason they haven’t been used is because Pop Pop, refuses to do the actual work. He wants everything handed to him. And Menges, ever loyal to his buddy, is ready to make that happen. All because he is “a grandfather of seven so he understands how important grandparents are.” (Yes that’s a direct quote from the first hearing)
Another condition is even more disturbing. Menges said in open court that if Sara cannot force the children to talk to their abuser on the phone, he will take that as proof that she is unable to control them. And although it was not in the written order, he stated in court that this would be a reason to remove the children from her custody.
Think about that. Children refusing to speak to their abuser is now being twisted into a justification for giving the abuser custody.
This is not just outrageous. It is dangerous.
Whether this is ignorance, arrogance, or something more calculated, it is completely unlawful. Judge Menges is creating things out of thin air to do what he knows he is not allowed to do. And he seems to think no one will call him on it.
But he is wrong.
People see exactly what he is doing. And they are not staying silent. Sara is standing her ground. and by doing so, she is showing others that they can stand up too. More and more people are finding the courage to speak out because they know they are not alone.
Menges is used to people giving up. But not this time. And the more power he tries to flex, the more power he gives back to his victims.
Because now the truth is out there.
Soon, the Superior Court will see that Menges openly defied their stay. He decided to ignore the law. He played games with the process. He used a fake concept to do something he had no legal authority to do.
Civil probation is not real. The conditions attached to it are nothing more than illegal modifications to a custody order. And they were issued under threat, without jurisdiction, and in violation of the Constitution.
This is not just overreach. This is deliberate. This is malicious.
There’s no such thing as “civil probation.” It’s a made-up term designed to disguise illegal changes to a custody order. Judge Menges was explicitly told not to make any alterations to the order. He was issued a stay, yet he chose to ignore it and make changes anyway, thinking he could get away with it.
When a judge ignores a stay, it typically constitutes an abuse of judicial discretion. The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, specifically Rule 62, require a judge to respect stays issued by higher courts. Similarly, many states, including Pennsylvania, have rules that obligate lower courts to comply with appellate stays. Disregarding a stay can also lead to contempt of court charges and judicial misconduct investigations. A judge who ignores a stay may face sanctions for overstepping their authority and violating procedural norms.
Nice try Mango. But we play chess not checkers. We already knew you were going to do something and we already have our next five moves planned.