Justice for Julie Valadez & her Children
Josh Kaul, Merrick B. Garland, Tony Evers, Scott Allen, Dave Maxey, Cindi Duchow, Julian Bradley, and Chris Kapenga
We have taken notice. The people see what is being done to Julie Valadez, and we are demanding action.
Julie Valadez is a protective mother and survivor of abuse who is being wrongfully imprisoned through the weaponization of the courts. She has been held on an outrageous $500,000 bail — an amount greater than what many violent offenders face — despite being a nonviolent mother accused on the basis of false and retaliatory charges. This is a direct violation of her constitutional rights:
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Eighth Amendment — protection against excessive bail.
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Fourteenth Amendment — protection of the parent-child relationship and due process.
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First Amendment — her right to advocate and speak on abuse without retaliation.
Julie’s wrongful imprisonment is not about justice — it is abuse by proxy, where the courts and prosecutors are used to extend the control of her abuser. Her children have been silenced, her parental rights stripped, and her liberty denied.
We demand that Wisconsin’s leaders — Attorney General Josh Kaul, Governor Tony Evers, and state lawmakers — act now to:
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Reduce Julie Valadez’s excessive $500,000 bail to a reasonable amount or release her on her own recognizance.
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Dismiss all false charges with prejudice.
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Restore her full parental rights and communication with her children.
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End the systemic criminalization of protective mothers and survivors of abuse in family courts.
This case is not just about Julie. It is about a system that punishes parents for protecting their children and violates the rights of survivors in the name of power. We are watching, we are united, and we will not allow this abuse to continue.
Petition by
Sponsored by
To:
Josh Kaul, Merrick B. Garland, Tony Evers, Scott Allen, Dave Maxey, Cindi Duchow, Julian Bradley, and Chris Kapenga
From:
[Your Name]
To:
Attorney General Josh Kaul, Wisconsin Department of Justice
Governor Tony Evers, State of Wisconsin
Members of the Wisconsin State Legislature (Assembly & Senate)
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, U.S. Department of Justice
Re: Wrongful Imprisonment and Excessive Bail in the Case of Julie Valadez
Dear Attorney General Kaul, Governor Evers, Members of the Legislature, and Attorney General Garland:
We, the undersigned, write to bring urgent attention to the wrongful imprisonment and ongoing violations of the constitutional rights of Julie Valadez, a Wisconsin mother and survivor of abuse. Her case represents a miscarriage of justice that demands immediate state and federal intervention.
Background
Julie Valadez has been criminalized not for committing violence, but for seeking to protect her children. Despite being a nonviolent mother, she was arrested on retaliatory charges and held on an exorbitant $500,000 cash bail — a sum typically reserved for violent offenders. This bond was only satisfied through the extraordinary generosity of an anonymous donor.
Julie’s situation must be understood in the context of her family court history. After documented domestic abuse by her former husband, custody was nevertheless awarded to him. Although the Wisconsin Court of Appeals reversed that custody decision in 2021, the trial court reinstated it in 2022, in direct defiance of appellate orders. When Julie attempted to protect her son, she was punished with felony charges instead of safeguarded as a survivor.
Violations of Rights
This case embodies violations of fundamental constitutional protections:
Eighth Amendment — protection against excessive bail has been ignored.
Fourteenth Amendment — Julie’s right to due process and the parent-child relationship has been denied.
First Amendment — Julie has faced retaliation for speaking out and advocating as a survivor.
Julie’s current conditions amount to wrongful imprisonment and abuse by proxy — where the legal system is weaponized to extend an abuser’s control.
Our Demands
We urge your offices to act without delay to:
Reduce Julie Valadez’s excessive $500,000 bail to a lawful and reasonable amount, or release her on her own recognizance.
Dismiss all false and retaliatory charges with prejudice.
Restore her full parental rights and immediate communication with her children.
Investigate the systemic failures in Wisconsin family and criminal courts that allow survivors to be targeted and punished for protective parenting.
Conclusion
Julie Valadez’s case is a moral and legal crisis. It illustrates how survivors of abuse are silenced, criminalized, and stripped of their rights when courts are used to perpetuate control and retaliation.
We, the undersigned, demand action. The people are watching. We will not stand by while constitutional rights are violated and protective mothers are imprisoned.
Respectfully,