Rich and I previously had Rabbi Jacob Bellinsky on The Unknown in February 2025.
In that broadcast, Rabbi Bellinsky told a harrowing tale of being victimized repeatedly by the silver bullet technique.
In this process, she filed for a protective order. Though there were no allegations of abuse when the divorce was finalized, this did not stop her from making allegations years later.
Rabbi Bellinsky said that court flagrantly violated his religious freedom by holding the hearing on a Jewish holiday and a permanent order was granted when he did not attend.
Then, he made the mistake of sending a text message to his ex-wife asking the see his daughter.
That violated the protective order, which was only granted because the hearing fell on a Jewish holiday. (His ex-wife, Rabbi Bellinsky told us, had left the faith by this point and no longer celebrated.)
Rabbi Bellinsky said that prosecutors wanted six months in jail; eventually he was sentenced to two years’ probation.
He sees a probation officer regularly; he rarely sees his kids.
Like in other silver bullet technique cases, the protective order was used as leverage in the child custody case.
“He rarely sees his kids,” I noted in February of Rabbi Bellinsky.
Getting no joy in state court, Rabbi Bellinsky set out to get relief in federal court; this is no easy task as Missouri attorney Matt Grant is learning.
Initially, his case was dismissed, but Rabbi Bellinsky was undaunted. He appealed to the Tenth Circuit US Court of Appeals. Remarkably, that court gave him a win.
What did Rabbi Bellinsky allege?
Rabbi Bellinsky alleged that a scheme was hatched to falsely imprison him. Here is more from the appeals court order.
While the allegations were explosive, Rabbi Bellinsky also did something sly: he only asked for money.
That’s because this was the way to overcome a longstanding federal principle.
What is Rooker-Feldman?
Many litigants look to federal courts to help right the wrongs of their family court cases, except federal courts don’t do that.
Only the US Supreme Court may look to reverse a family court order- besides state appeals courts- and the chances that someone’s family court case is accepted by the US Supreme Court are near zero.
Instead, the so-called Rooker-Feldman doctrine bars this kind of forum shopping. The doctrine states in part, “a litigant should not be able to challenge state court orders in federal courts to relitigate matters that have already been considered and decided by a court of competent jurisdiction.”
Knowing this, Rabbi Bellinsky didn’t ask for a change in custody, or the removal of criminal charges.
He only asked for money.
What now?
Rabbi Bellinsky said he was far from victory. The case was remanded back to the same court which previously threw it out.
He said that he thought the case would go to discovery, but instead, the other side has filed several motions to dismiss on other grounds.
I said that even if he didn’t get any farther it was still an enormous victory.
Family court litigants have been trying to get relief in federal court for years.
Most file things which courts quickly knock out.
That’s not what happened to Rabbi Bellinsky. He continues fighting, and as a result, he has opened a door which others can use.
His arrest
Others may have also taken notice of this landmark decision in the US Court of Appeals.
Rabbi Bellinsky said he was arrested recently, and parole wants to violate him.
He said that authorities claimed that him serving his ex-wife with a new lawsuit violated a longstanding- the one that is the subject of his federal lawsuit- protective order.
That is ridiculous.
His parole officer also told him that he isn’t trying to work.
This looks like blatant retaliation.
