Children

Leaving kids home alone wasn’t endangerment, state supreme court says; ‘no parent can shield a child from all risks’

A mother didn’t commit the crime of child endangerment when she left five children ages 5 to 12 home alone while she shopped for groceries at Walmart, the Iowa Supreme Court has ruled in a unanimous opinion.

Feb 22, 2024 3:22 PM CST

Protect trans and gender nonconforming students from forced outing, ABA House urges

The ABA House of Delegates on Monday passed a resolution aimed at protecting transgender and gender nonconforming students from forced outing policies.

Feb 5, 2024 4:59 PM CST

Extra protections are needed for youths navigating immigration system, ABA House says

The federal government should better protect immigrant youths, and particularly immigrant youths of color, through the yearslong adjudication of their Special Immigrant Juvenile Status petition and adjustment of their status application to lawful permanent residence, the ABA House of Delegates said.

Feb 5, 2024 11:00 AM CST

Family Limbo: Movement to repeal a Clinton-era law sparks debate about foster care and adoption

The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 sits at the center of a debate among legal scholars, attorneys and activists: Is this law in the best interest of children, or is it unjust and unconstitutional?

Feb 1, 2024 3:00 AM CST

After bringing criminal charges again Netflix, DA winds up with federal court bad-faith finding

Cuties, a 2020 Netflix film, tells the story of an 11-year old Senegalese girl in France who comes from a devout Muslim family navigating the sometimes provocative culture of modern…

Jan 31, 2024 9:30 AM CST

Interested in policy supporting homeless youths? ABA group provides guidance

“Best practices have changed, and how this crisis unfolds itself is changing,” says Richard Hooks Wayman, a liaison to the ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty. “We thought it was time to really pick up on what we’ve been learning in the field over the last 15 years and come out with a new publication.”

Jan 18, 2024 9:09 AM CST

These 3 organizations are using innovative methods to help older youths in foster care

In our final story of the year for our Children & the Law series, we are focusing on the needs of older foster youths about to transition out of care and what supports and services make a difference in their lives. Here are three ways that organizations around the country are helping with this essential work.

Dec 18, 2023 8:22 AM CST

Supreme Court declines to consider challenge to conversion-therapy ban; 3 justices would have heard case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to consider a challenge to ban in Washington on conversion therapy for LGBTQ minors, prompting dissents from three justices.

Dec 11, 2023 2:05 PM CST

Trying to kill ex-husband with hatchet violates separation agreement’s covenant of good faith, state appeals court says

Updated: A husband does not have to make continued payments to his ex-wife under a separation agreement after she tried to kill him with a hatchet, the Massachusetts Appeals Court has ruled.

Nov 27, 2023 8:42 AM CST

Family members who step in to care for children can get extra support with ABA guidance

In late September, the U.S. Administration for Children and Families published a rule urging child welfare agencies to develop different standards for grandparents, aunts and uncles or other kinship caregivers who step in to raise children who can no longer live with their parents. The ABA Center on Children and the Law is now working to assist these states.

Nov 8, 2023 3:10 PM CST

Christian student will receive $150K in suit alleging school meditation program included Hindu ritual

A former public school student who alleged that she was coerced to participate in a school meditation ritual that violated her Christian religious beliefs has accepted a $150,000 offer of judgment from the Chicago Board of Education and the foundation that developed the program.

Nov 7, 2023 9:08 AM CST

There’s an ‘urgent need’ to support female lawyers with children, new ABA report shows

Mothers are far more likely than fathers to encounter negative experiences at work, including disparaging comments, lower compensation and fewer advancement opportunities, according to a new ABA report released Wednesday that assesses how the motherhood penalty and other caregiver bias impacts female lawyers.

Oct 25, 2023 9:34 AM CDT

Making It Work for Working Moms (and Dads): How law firms can support new parents

There are few events in life more pivotal and significant than becoming a parent, especially for the first time. Yet even in today’s era of post-COVID-19 extravagant employee wellness initiatives that focus on mental health, many employers fail to recognize the importance of providing their workforce with the one benefit that will enhance both employee retention and job satisfaction: a robust parental leave policy.

Oct 24, 2023 2:30 PM CDT

Migrant family-separation settlement provides path to asylum, 8-year ban on Trump-era policy

The U.S. government has agreed that for the next eight years, it won't reinstate a Trump administration zero-tolerance policy for illegal immigration that led to the separation of thousands of immigrant children from their families.

Oct 17, 2023 9:32 AM CDT

Lawyer said to have BigLaw connection arrested after young children found alone at beach

A Tampa, Florida, lawyer who identified her employer as White & Case has been arrested after she was accused of leaving two children, ages 3 and 7, unattended for at least a half-hour at Upham Beach in St. Pete Beach, Florida.

Oct 12, 2023 1:01 PM CDT