If you needed another reminder that the federal justice system is broken, look no further than the case of Shana Gaviola. The Gateway Pundit has previously reported on Shana’s case, and yet more continues to be exposed.
What started as a custody dispute has exploded into a full-blown scandal involving federal prosecutors, judicial misconduct, and a system that seems more interested in protecting its own than delivering justice.
Gaviola, a California resident, is accused of violating a protective order involving her then-minor son in 2021. Prosecutors claim she conspired with Julio Sandoval, a Missouri boarding school dean, to remove her son from California against court orders. But instead of handling the case fairly, the government went nuclear. Why does the court have such an inappropriate interest in this case?
In 2023, Gaviola alleged that Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Tierney, one of the prosecutors assigned to her case, made highly inappropriate advances of a sexual nature toward her at a Fresno bar. He chose to become intoxicated and continue the inappropriate behavior. Rather than investigate the claim transparently, the entire Eastern District of California was quietly removed from the case. Every judge. Every prosecutor. Gone. Just like this flagrantly appalling behavior never happened.
Gaviola’s legal team filed a motion to dismiss the charges, arguing that the prosecution (more than) violated her constitutional rights as a parent and her religious liberty by criminalizing her decision to send her son to a religious boarding school. That motion was denied even after her team cited the Supreme Court decision of TAMER MAHMOUD, ET AL., PETITIONERS v. THOMAS W. TAYLOR, ET AL.
Then came the venue shuffle. A Fresno-based judge initially ordered the case moved to the Northern District of California due to the misconduct allegations. But Chief Judge Troy Nunley overstepped his authority and reversed that decision, stating the case would remain in Fresno. Instead of transferring it, the Ninth Circuit’s Chief Judge assigned Seattle-based, Reagan-appointed Judge John C. Coughenour to be flown in to preside over the trial, setting a new precedent.
So, while the courtroom stays in Fresno, the people running it are outsiders brought in because the local bench was too compromised to continue.
Hellbound and Down 