Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt divorce case judge disqualified by appeals court - Times of India

A California appeals court on Friday disqualified a private judge being used by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in their divorce case, handing Jolie a major victory.The judge already ruled the pair divorced, but separated the child custody issues.Like many celebrity couples, Pitt and Jolie opted to hire their own judge to increase their privacy in the divorce proceedings.A lower court judge ruled that Jolie's request for disqualification came too late.The July 9 oral arguments in front of the appeals court focused on exactly which ethical rules should apply to private judges, who, like Ouderkirk, are usually retired superior court judges."If you're going to play the role of a paid private judge you have to play by the rules and the rules are very clear, they require full transparency," Jolie's attorney Robert Olson said.The actress also said the judge "has failed to adequately consider" a section of the California courts code, which says it is detrimental to the best interest of the child if custody is awarded to a person with a history of domestic violence.