In an article by Paula Reed Ward today, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports Court orders sperm donor to pay support, Death of father complicates complex case. Some quotes: The Pennsylvania Superior Court, in a recent decision, ordered that a sperm donor who had a close relationship with the two children he fathered must pay child support....Read More
One of the questions we pondered as states passed DOMAs and constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage was what effect such would have on divorces between heterosexuals. Larry O’Dell,Read More
From The Family Law Prof Blog: Italian Government Approves Bill to Grant Legal Rights to Cohabitants. Whether their parliment will pass it appears to be a coin toss.Read More
The Court of Appeals in Ontario ruled that three parents can have parental rights over one child . Between A.A., Appellant and B.B. and C.C., Appellees. The background of the case is reported in Jurist. A Canadian child can legally have three parents – two mothers and a father.Read More
In an important decision last week, Janet Miller-Jenkins v. Lisa Miller-Jenkins, the Virginia Court of Appeals held that Virginia must give full faith and credit under the federal Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act to a custody determination made by a Vermont court growing out of a Vermont civil union. The opinion determined that DOMA did not...Read More
Issue and Holding: Whether one who is not a parent but who has nevertheless participated substantially in the support and rearing of a child for a significant period of time has standing to claim a right of custody or visitation upon discontinuance of the cohabitational relationship with the parent. The Court held no, such person...Read More
Gay Donor or Gay Dad? by John Bowe is The New York Times Magazine November 19, 2006 cover story under the headline An Extended Nuclear Family? . “Gay men and lesbians are having babies – and redefining fatherhood, commitment and what a family can be.” The entire article is online and worth a read.Read More
What concerned me when I read the news stories about the New Jersey same-sex marriage case was that it was a 4-3 decision. I was worried that the court was so split on the rights due gay partners, that any change in balance of the composition of government would easily upend the decision. I am...Read More
UPDATE: TRENTON, New Jersey (CNN) “The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the state’s constitution gives gay and lesbian couples all the rights of married heterosexual couples. But the court left it to the state legislature to decide what to call the relationship. It gave lawmakers 180 days to either include gay and lesbian...Read More
