Judges, attorneys, guardians and other court professionals have repeatedly used custody as a cudgel, according to some family court attorneys and advocates, punishing parents for their conduct by limiting their access to their children.
—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
4 June 2026
Linda wields her absolute power over Bradley like a cudgel, exploiting his helplessness to emotionally abuse and manipulate him.
—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 May 2026
Not since the segregationist Southern states deployed dogs, fire hoses and nightsticks against civil rights activists in the early 1960s has any government entity in the U.S. wielded force against its own citizens to this extent.
—
Ronald Brownstein,
Mercury News,
23 Jan. 2026
He was also accused of stabbing the boy with a knife, hitting him with a nightstick and slamming his head into a vehicle.
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