Family Law Commons^™

Legal Representation Of Parents In Child Dependency Cases In Virginia, Eric J. Reynolds

University of Richmond Law Review

Virginia’s current system of providing court-appointed legal counsel for parents involved in child dependency cases is unsustainable and inadequate, requiring swift and dramatic action from the state government. Inadequate legal representation for parents often leads to poor outcomes for children and a lack of protections for the parents’ due process rights. While attempts to improve the system have been made in recent years, they are often quickly dismissed. The largest hindrances in the current system, this Article suggests, is that court-appointed attorneys for parents are typically underpaid, undertrained, and consequently unable to meaningfully advocate for their client. Due to the …

Unstable Homes Exacerbated By Unstable Courts: How Ohio's Split-Child-Custody Jurisdiction Harms Ohio's Children And Families, Philip Shipman

Et Cetera

Raising a child is very difficult. Add to the difficulty in raising a child the specter of a child custody suit, and you have a recipe that can end in disaster.

In Ohio, child custody is not fair. It is not just. It is determined by judges, whose jurisdiction is determined by whether the child’s parents were married to each other. Under this jurisdictional scheme, Ohio’s children are failed. This failure stems from Ohio courts making their own rules without care to fairness and equality. Within most of Ohio’s eighty-eight counties, juvenile and domestic relations courts can, and do, set …

Table Of Contents, Seattle University Law Review

Seattle University Law Review

Table of Contents

Contextual Determinants Of Re-Reporting For Families Receiving Alternative Response: A Survival Analysis In A Midwestern State, Jianchao Lai, Michelle Graef, Todd Franke, Toby Burnham

Center on Children, Families, and the Law: Faculty Publications

Differential response (DR) has been widely adopted in over 30 states to address shortcomings of the traditional approach to child maltreatment reports in complex family and case circumstances. However, despite continued evaluation efforts, evidence of the effectiveness of DR remains inconclusive. The current study aims to assess the impact of a DR program and potential predictors, including service match and number of family case workers, on maltreatment re-reports in a Midwestern state. The study utilized a randomized control trial and assigned eligible families to either the Alternative Response (AR) track or Traditional Response (TR) track. The enrollment was implemented in …

Easy Victims Of The Law: Protecting The Constitutional Rights Of Juvenile Suspects To Prevent False Confessions, Tayler Klinkbeil

Child and Family Law Journal

The inherently coercive nature of custodial interrogation is the very reason the Supreme Court handed down the famous Miranda v. Arizona decision; the court recognized the increased vulnerability that suspects under questioning are subjected to when placed in a situation designed to elicit incriminating information.¹ Legal scholars and judiciaries alike agree that the likelihood of police questioning resulting in a false admission of guilt or self-incriminating statements is disproportionately more probable if the subject of the questioning is a minor.² The constitutional protections that are afforded to juvenile suspects subjected to custodial interrogations are those set out in …

It Is Time For Family Courts To Be More Aware Of Parental Mental Illness And Substance Abuse, Elaina Larson

Child and Family Law Journal

Since the COVID-19 pandemic and previous years, the mental health and substance abuse crises in Florida are growing at an unprecedented rate.¹ With substantive due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment as a substantial roadblock, the Florida courts are reluctant to adequately address the mental health and substance abuse needs of individuals.² This issue is especially difficult in cases involving the termination of parental rights, leaving children in damaging environments with unfit parents suffering from severe mental illness and substance abuse.³ To prevent children from growing up under negative conditions and developing mental health problems as well, …

The Effects Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On The Future Of Our Youth, Patrick Cobb

Child and Family Law Journal

22.3 percent.¹ This is the percentage of the population of the United States under the age of 18. These three words should come to mind: growth, family, and safety. Unfortunately, just because these words come to mind, does not mean these are a reality for our youth. The Adverse Childhood Experience (ACEs) study explores our youth’s mental, emotional, and social well-being across a wide sample with some disturbing results.

As we de-code what exactly ACEs entails, we can learn to predict, diagnose, and ultimately prevent negative environments our youth are involved in. Prioritizing these prevention efforts can eventually lead …

A Conflict In The Courts: An Update On School Restroom Policies, Suzanne Eckes

Child and Family Law Journal

Over the past ten years, courts have been asked to weigh in on whether students’ rights are violated when school policies prohibit them from using restrooms that align with their gender identities. In the vast majority of legal cases, courts have rendered decisions favorable for the student. In December 2022, however, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a school district’s policy prohibiting transgender students from using a restroom that matched their gender identity did not violate Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 nor the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Eleventh Circuit’s en banc …

The Independent Existence: A Look At Florida's Wrongful Death Statute In The Wake Of Dobbs And Changing State Abortion Laws., Katherine Bolliger

Child and Family Law Journal

Following the Supreme Court’s overturning of the federally mandated fundamental right to abortion founded in Roe¹ and Casey,² the decision of whether a woman may terminate a pregnancy has returned to the states with the current Court’s implementation of Dobbs v. Jackson Woman’s Health.³ In Florida, the state government decided to reduce the gestational age for termination to fifteen weeks in July 2022, and further reduced the gestational age to six weeks in April 2023 provided that the Florida Supreme Court upholds the fifteen week ban.⁴ This note operates under the fifteen week standard …

Conviction On Interpretation, Advocate Adaptability, And The Future Of Emojis And Emoticons As Evidence, Samantha Lyons

Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental & Innovation Law

The dawning of the digital age introduced new and unique interpretive quandaries for judges and litigators alike. These quandaries include (but are not limited to) misinterpretation of pictorial slang as used in instant messaging, new or collateral meanings invented by phrases paired with specific emoticons or emojis, and the existence of emojis alone as communicative accessories.

This Note analyzes how lawyers and judges have essential free reign to treat emojis as they see fit: a prosecutor can argue, even in good faith, that the inclusion of an emoji depicting an open flame means the sender knew the heroin he sold …

Rojas Reflects On Law School During A Pandemic, James Owsley Boyd

Keep Up With the Latest News from the Law School (blog)

During her sophomore year of college, Alexa Rojas was an intake intern with a children’s advocacy center outside of Joliet, Illinois. It sparked the realization that she knew she wanted to make a difference in the lives of kids who have endured abuse and trauma. In her position, Rojas served as the first point of contact for families scheduling forensic interviews with law enforcement and prosecutors. In order to lessen the impact on the victim, substantial logistical work went on behind the scenes to ensure that the child only had to tell their story once—to someone they trusted.

Legislative Update From The 94th General Assembly: Arkansas Bills Affecting Pregnant And Postpartum Mothers, Garrett Bannister

Arkansas Law Notes

In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Org., the State of Arkansas was swift in restricting almost all abortions in the Natural State. Arkansas’s decision was met with plaudits from its supporters and reproval by its dissenters. In this unchartered legal territory, Arkansas’s 94th General Assembly—the first legislative session in the wake of Dobbs—has passed and proposed several bills that would provide pregnant and postpartum mothers and their children with medical and financial assistance. Specifically, these bills would provide pregnant and new mothers with health screenings, help high school-aged parents …

An Analysis Of Juvenile Gun Violence Mitigation In Columbia, South Carolina, Amelia Shook

Senior Theses

Over the past ten years, the United States has been impacted by the increasing frequency of homicides due to gun violence. Juvenile homicides via firearms are examined on a national, state, and county level by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and analyzed to showcase adjusted age and years of potential life lost due to gun violence. Data obtained through a CDC database depicts the geographic areas being examined: United States, South Carolina, and Richland County. South Carolina will be singled out and examined individually as it ranks eighth highest in the United States for gun violence. Richland …

Childist Objections, Youthful Relevance, And Evidence Reconceived, Mae C. Quinn

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

Evidence rules are written by and for adults. As a result, they largely lack the vantage point of youth and are rooted in arm’s-length assumptions about the lives and legal interests of young people. Moreover, because children have been mostly treated as evidentiary afterthoughts, they have been patched into the justice system and its procedures in a piecemeal fashion. Yet, to date, there has been no comprehensive scholarly critique of evidence principles and practices for failing to meaningfully account for youth. And the evidentiary intersection of youth and race has been almost entirely overlooked in legal scholarship. This Article, in …

Florida's Baker Act Laws: How Florida's Excessive Use Of Baker Acts Can Be Harmful To Children, Kaitlin Gibbs

Gator TeamChild Juvenile Law Clinic

The goal of this White Paper is to provide an overview of Florida’s Baker Act Laws. Additionally, this White Paper will show how the excessive use of Baker Acts in Florida can have harmful effects on children, especially those in the dependency system, and potential solutions to reform the Baker Act process.

Table Of Contents, Children's Legal Rights Journal

Children's Legal Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

Denormalizing Harm To Migrant Children In The U.S. Immigration System: A Comparative Perspective, Sarah J. Diaz, Oneida Vargas

Children's Legal Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

The Case For The Prohibition Of Corporal Punishment In The U.S., Katie Coyle

Children's Legal Rights Journal

It is undeniable that the United States ("U.S.") has experienced significant social changes within the past 150 years. Social progress has been made regarding issues related to both race and gender. For example, until the 1870s, men were legally entitled to physically chastise their wives. It was just a decade prior to this that slavery had been abolished. At the root of these issues was the notion that women and people of color were not autonomous holders of rights, but rather were "property" that belonged to their owners or partners. Arguably, one area of U.S. civil rights where this concept …

Moral Injury: The Undiagnosed Epidemic Spread Through The Family Policing System And A Call For Abolition, Leyda M. Garcia-Greenawalt

Children's Legal Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

Parenting Prison: How Mass Incarceration Of Parents Affects Child Development, Bridget Boland

Children's Legal Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

"We Can't Hear You": A Call For Right To Counsel For Youth In Care, Leyda Garcia-Greenawalt

Children's Legal Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

Protecting Children's Privacy Rights: A Preventative Measure For Suicide Among Children, Abigail Magat

Children's Legal Rights Journal

Article 16 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Child (UNCRC) broadly entitles children to protections of their privacy and reputations. Under the UNCRC, nations have pledged to uphold any protections necessary to protect children against such attacks or interference regarding their honor and reputation. Among the 196 member states of this convention, very few have specific legislation dedicated to protecting children's privacy rights. As the cyberworld has increasingly become heavily accessible to children, so has the notion that their reputation and honor revolve around how they are perceived on the internet. Nevertheless, throughout most member states, privacy …

Organizations Behind Ending The Gun Violence Epidemic, Melissa Spero

Children's Legal Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

Is Florida Ready For The Universal School Choice Bill?, Joseline Vargas

Children's Legal Rights Journal

Educational inequities can affect someone's future; school choice is meant to bridge the gap between those that receive a better education and those unable to receive one due to financial hardships to ensure a better future for students. While in numerous occasions school choice is a student's saving grace from a failed system, regulations must be in place to ensure that the people that are being helped by the law are those who need it, not just want it. Florida, following the school choice movement, has introduced the Universal School Choice Bill, which has now been voted in and signed. …

A Child’S Constitutional Right To Family Integrity And Counsel In Dependency Proceedings, Rachel Kennedy

Emory Law Journal

Since the child welfare system’s inception, abuse and neglect laws have conflated poverty-related neglect with active parental violence and willful neglect. The ensuing state surveillance has disproportionately harmed poor children and children of color. Pursuant to the state’s expansive parens patriae authority, countless families are investigated, and thousands of children are separated from their caretakers each year—only to be returned within days or weeks after a finding that the reasons for removal were unsubstantiated. Other children risk drifting in foster care limbo until they experience the termination of parental rights—an adjudication so severe that some courts call it the “civil …

The Harmful Effects Of Expansive Immunity Protections For Child Abuse Reporters And The Lack Of Justice For Those Who Are Falsely Accused, Kristina Joslin

Mitchell Hamline Law Journal of Public Policy and Practice

No abstract provided.

Reframing The Dei Case, Veronica Root Martinez

Seattle University Law Review

Corporate firms have long expressed their support for the idea that their organizations should become more demographically diverse while creating a culture that is inclusive of all members of the firm. These firms have traditionally, however, not been successful at improving demographic diversity and true inclusion within the upper echelons of their organizations. The status quo seemed unlikely to move, but expectations for corporate firms were upended after the #MeToo Movement of 2017 and 2018, which was followed by corporate support of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement in 2020. These two social movements, while distinct in many ways, forced firms to rethink …

“Statistics Are Human Beings With The Tears Wiped Away”: Utilizing Data To Develop Strategies To Reduce The Number Of Native Americans Who Go Missing, Lori Mcpherson, Sarah Blazucki

Seattle University Law Review

On New Year’s Eve night, 2019, sixteen-year-old Selena Shelley Faye Not Afraid attended a party in Billings, Montana, about fifty miles west of her home in Hardin, Montana, near the Crow Reservation. A junior at the local high school, she was active in her community. The party carried over until the next day, and she caught a ride back toward home with friends in a van the following afternoon. When the van stopped at an interstate rest stop, Selena got out but never made it back to the van. The friends reported her missing to the police and indicated they …

Table Of Contents, Seattle University Law Review

Seattle University Law Review

Table of Contents

A Synthesis Of The Science And Law Relating To Eyewitness Misidentifications And Recommendations For How Police And Courts Can Reduce Wrongful Convictions Based On Them, Henry F. Fradella

Seattle University Law Review

The empirical literature on perception and memory consistently demonstrates the pitfalls of eyewitness identifications. Exoneration data lend external validity to these studies. With the goal of informing law enforcement officers, prosecutors, criminal defense attorneys, judges, and judicial law clerks about what they can do to reduce wrongful convictions based on misidentifications, this Article presents a synthesis of the scientific knowledge relevant to how perception and memory affect the (un)reliability of eyewitness identifications. The Article situates that body of knowledge within the context of leading case law. The Article then summarizes the most current recommendations for how law enforcement personnel should—and …