The Prescription Nobody Can Enforce
A West Virginia father's push for timely vaccinations for their children clashes with their mother's vaccine skepticism, leading to custody disputes in family court. The article explores the inadequacies of family court in resolving medical disagreements…
The Custody Standard the Dog Got First
Illinois' House Bill 4540, known as "Rosie's Law," establishes a best-interest test for companion animal custody disputes, effective January 1, 2027. It allows courts to consider caregiving history and emotional bonds among various relationships, unlike…
Maryland Proclaims a Month for Collecting. Not One for Showing Up.
Maryland has declared August 2026 National Child Support Awareness Month, praising its support enforcement system. However, the article critiques this approach, highlighting a lack of similar enforcement measures for parental access issues. The disparity…
The Contact Nobody Compels
The disparity in enforcement mechanisms between child support and parenting-time orders highlights systemic issues in U.S. family courts. While child support enforcement is robust and federally mandated, access rights lack comparable structures. This…
The Averaging Problem: When Fifty Percent Custody Counts as Zero
The Pennsylvania Superior Court case Mosher v. Mosher illustrates complexities in child support calculations when one parent shares custody 50% of the time with one child and none with another. The decision applies an averaging formula that can obscure…
The System Has a Business Model. These Books Prove It.
The post presents a reading list for parents seeking to understand the family court system's mechanics and how it impacts children. It highlights several books that explore themes of corruption, profit-driven practices, and systemic failures within…
The Access Gap AI Was Supposed to Close — And What It’s Opening Instead
A recent appellate court case highlighted issues with AI-generated citations in custody matters, revealing a trend where self-represented litigants submit filings containing fabricated legal references. This problem threatens the grace doctrine, which…
The Second Access Tax: How Family Court Privatized the Cost of Parenting
The article examines the concept of the "Access Tax" in American family court systems, highlighting how financial burdens are disproportionately placed on parents, particularly during custody disputes. Costs escalate due to systemic incentives benefiting…
Same States, Two Standards: The Custody Enforcement Gap Guardianship Reform Exposed
The article compares how different states address custody enforcement for children when a parent faces immigration-related detainment or deportation. Some states, like D.C. and California, allow immediate guardianship without judicial oversight, while…
Equal Custody Becomes the Starting Point
Mississippi has become the sixth state to adopt a rebuttable presumption of equal physical custody in child custody cases, effective July 1, 2026. Under House Bill 1662, courts must assume parents share custody 50-50 unless evidence shows otherwise. The…