Angelina Jolie Wants Judge Overseeing Divorce To Be Disqualified, Brad Pitt Opposes Idea

Angelina Jolie wants to remove the judge overseeing her divorce, but her ex-husband Brad Pitt insists on keeping him.

On Monday, Jolie filed for Judge John W. Ouderkirk’s removal from overseeing her and Pitt's divorce with the Los Angeles Superior Court. The "Maleficent" star wants the judge to be disqualified from the case due to insufficient disclosure of his business relationship with Pitt's attorney, Anne C. Kiley.

Ouderkirk has "failed to disclose the cases that demonstrated the current, ongoing, repeat-customer relationship between the judge and Respondent’s counsel," Jolie's filing read as quoted by Page Six.

Moreover, Pitt's lawyer "actively advocated for Judge Ouderkirk’s financial interests in moving — over the opposing party’s opposition — to have his appointment (and his ability to continue to receive fees) extended in a high profile case."

Jolie also emphasized that even if they hired a private judge, the latter should follow the same rules of disclosure and conflict of interest like other judges.

"It doesn’t matter if Judge Ouderkirk is actually biased. Under California law disqualification is required so long as a person aware of the facts ‘might reasonably entertain a doubt’ about Judge Ouderkirk’s ability to remain impartial," Jolie's filing continued.

However, Jolie's filing also claims that Pitt is opposing the idea of removing Ouderkirk. Instead, the "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" star insists on keeping him.

Even if Pitt and Jolie's divorce has not been finalized yet, the two are already officially single. In April 2019, a judgment was filed that "restored their single status." According to the court documents, both Jolie and Pitt requested for bifurcation and it was granted.

Both are "focused on what's best for the kids," a source told People at the time. Jolie and Pitt had a bitter separation. In fact, they were not on speaking terms for months. However, the exes reached a temporary child custody agreement in November 2018 to "keep things moving along in the right direction."

Since then, Pitt and Jolie's arrangement has become better. Jolie has allowed the kids to see their dad regularly.

In the past weeks, Pitt has been spotted visiting Jolie's home to meet their kids. An insider claimed that Jolie was helping the "Ad Astra" actor to reconcile with their kids Maddox, 19, Pax, 16, and Zahara, 15.

However, another source refuted the claim.

"There’s no sign this is true, but it would be great if they were," the source said.