Reason why Angelina Jolie wants private judge removed in her and Brad Pitt divorce case

Angelina Jolie's court filing asking for disqualification of the private judge presiding over her and Brad Pitt's divorce proceedings have raised contradicting speculations about why she took the step.

In a filing in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, Angelina Jolie argued that Judge John W. Ouderkirk should be taken off from the divorce case she filed in 2016 because of his insufficient disclosures of his business relationships with Anne C. Kiley, one of the attorneys of Brad Pitt. While a source close to the case claimed to Page Six that the filing was a "delay tactic" by Jolie because she felt things weren't going in her favour, a different source said that the 45-year-old did it as she was concerned "something untoward" is afoot in the case.

A source claimed to the outlet on Monday that the Oscar-winning actress is asking for the removal of the private judge to earn some time by stalling the case, noting that the main issue is custody of their kids and her request for more child support.

"Jolie is basically trying to fire the private judge overseeing their divorce case. She has every right to do this, but if she thought she was in a good place in this legal proceeding, she wouldn't need to do it. This is a classic case of someone expecting a bad decision trying to delay the process by asking for a new referee," the source claimed.

The insider also said that Jolie's move is unusual as she is now involving a public court, which will only delay the divorce which hasn't been finalised even after nearly four years. Many high-profile couples hire a private judge to oversee their divorce proceedings to keep many of its filings and the personal and financial details within them sealed.

"This is about how much time Brad gets with the kids, how does sharing time with the kids work ... This divorce has been going on for four years, for goodness' sake," the source said. However, a separate source told the outlet on Wednesday that the "Maleficent" actress took the step because she was "concerned that something untoward was happening."

"Angelina isn't trying to delay this process. In fact, the court papers state that she wants to get this issue with the judge resolved so there are no further delays (in deciding custody and financial issues like child support)," the insider claimed.

Pitt and Jolie, who were a couple for 12 years and married for two years when Jolie filed for divorce, were declared divorced in April 2019 in a bifurcated judgement. The bifurcated divorce means that while the couple can call themselves single, other issues including child custody and financial issues will continue to remain in the court.

The former couple share five minor children - Pax, 16, Zahara, 15, Shiloh aka John, 14, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 12. They also share a 19-year-old son, Maddox.