Judges torn by tough cases

While policy-makers hash out their differences, cases like Ronnie's fill the docket in Family Court. And the judges who must decide what's best for these children are stuck in the middle.

To reach a decision on dependency cases, said Common Pleas Court Judge Albert Sheppard, "you have to be one-third rabbi, one-third judge and one-third social worker."

Sheppard served in Family Court in the 1980s hearing child-welfare cases and, in December, as an emergency judge in Family Court. He said the work required the wisdom of King Solomon.

"I had one case where DHS wanted to take the kid out of the house. The parents showed up. They had a lawyer. The DHS worker was against it. I was on the fence. It was a true 50-50 situation. I was thinking that my main responsibility is to keep families together, so I sent that child home with those parents. The next day, someone in the house discharged a gun, and a 4-year-old lost a couple of fingers. People were saying to me, 'What did you do?' "

He sighed.

"You can't get yesterday back."