August 23, 2011

Bill Attempting to Reform Child Custody Laws

According to a prominent New York Family Lawyer there is a new bill proposed which could revamp the child custody laws? This will force judges to offer equal parenting time to parents unless one is said to be unfit for parenting.
The state is trying to make child custody laws much fairer. If both parents are loving and fit then they should both be involved. Two parents are needed to raise well rounded children.
There are a large number of supporters of this bill. It says that it would prevent many fathers from being nothing more than visitors to their child’s lives. Instead they will be able to be part of their life. This will also make the child’s life much more stable.
If this bill was passed then any parents divorcing would need to create a parenting plan. This would then say which parent the child would be with on different days on the week. If the parents are unable to reach a decision then the judge would order joint custody.
A New York Family Lawyer questions the ability of the bill to stabilize the life for the child. It is thought that this could mean that children will have to sacrifice.
Supporters say that they just want both parties to have fair representation under the law. They argue that at the moment they are not treated fairly.
The NY Family Lawyer points out that life has changed a lot over the years. In the 50’s it might have made sense for the mother to retain custody of the children. However, now with both parents working almost all the time, this will not always be the case.
Other supporters of the bill said that it was a good idea. However, they said that the definition of an unfit parent would need to be extended. This will make sure that any criminals or violent people are not able to get equal custody of their children. Bills like this are studied in New York City and Long Island to find out the significance for their venues.
In the bill, an unfit parent is described as someone who fails to offer the proper level of care to their child or to harm the child in any way.

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June 14, 2011

Same-sex Nebraska City couple denied divorce

A Nebraska district court judge denied a divorce to a same-sex couple on Tuesday. The couple got married in 2003 when they lived in Vermont.

The judge said that according to Nebraska Constitution, Nebraska does not see them as a married couple, a New York Family Lawyer stated. According to the constitution, “only marriage between a man and a woman shall be valid or recognized in Nebraska,” the judge said.

Nebraska does not see the marriage as validate and he cannot dissolve the union. Nebraska is not the only state that does not recognize same-sex marriages. Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Texas and Rhode Island also have similar constitution.

A 37-year-old woman was requesting a divorce from another 50-year-old woman. Both women are from Nebraska City, Nebraska.

Even though the judge could not grant the 37-year-old woman’s request, he did make several orders about the condition of their family. He ruled about the issues of parenting and child support, a New York Family Lawyer was told. Both women agreed to the judge’s ruling in the matter.

The judge gave custody of a four-year-old girl to the plaintiff. The 37-year-old woman is the girl’s biological mother. A parenting plan was also ordered so that both parties could see the girl. The plan included weekend and holiday visits. As in cases like this in Long Island or Manhattan, the judge has the power to make these decisions.

The defendant was order to pay child support and all day-car and pre-school expense. The woman has a job in Hamburg, Iowa. It is unclear what her job is. She was order to pay $200 in child support a month. Both women will cover medical care for the girl.
The judge believes it is important that both parties be responsible for the girl because they both have a relationship with the woman.

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