Justice John J. Irwin, Jr.'s  Infamous Memo re  Guardian Ad Litem Fees* Dated 28 February 1997, still in effect, orders Probate & Family Court judges  to assess parties for GAL fees  Section 4(a) below is the operative section.  All the G.A.L.s provide services on behalf of the court, thereby making the parties  pay the G.A.L. fees is in violation of the statute and therefore unlawful.  The memo should be made ineffective, and restitution should be made to all parties forced to pay the G.A.L. fees.  falseallegations.com suspects that the state coffers were low and the judiciary wanted a larger budget. (The judiciary wants more $$$ every year.)   In 1995, Governor Weld was making his bid for the 1996 election and the use of GALs increased by 35 percent during that year.  He had to make it look like there was more money in the Massachusetts till in the Treasury Department than there was.   He probably struck a deal with Irwin, who had just become Chief Justice for Administration and Management: Save us $$$millions in GAL fees and we'll give you a larger budget.  I've asked a Boston Globe reporter to check what the budget for the judiciary was in each of the years since 1995.   It's the Woodward & Bernstein approach: FOLLOW THE MONEY!!!!