Family Law

SCOTUS will decide whether subjects of domestic-violence restraining orders can be banned from gun ownership

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to decide the constitutionality of a federal law that bans gun ownership by people subject to domestic-violence restraining orders.

Jul 5, 2023 11:31 AM CDT

Ex-judge agrees to disbarment after she is accused of stealing money from former Tuskegee Airman

A retired judge in Cook County, Illinois, has asked the Illinois Supreme Court to remove her from the attorney rolls after an ethics complaint accused her of stealing more than $246,000 from a Tuskegee Airman who had been married to her aunt.

Jun 30, 2023 8:41 AM CDT

Judge recuses after he is accused of declaring that Middle Eastern men are abusive

Updated: A judge in Cook County, Illinois, has agreed to step down from a case after a lawyer alleged he made statements that are “violent, discriminatory, racist and antagonistic” during an in-chambers discussion.

Jun 23, 2023 8:30 AM CDT

3 judges block state restrictions on gender-affirming health care in 1 week’s time

Within a one-week period, federal judges have blocked laws in three states that restrict gender-affirming health care for transgender people.

Jun 22, 2023 11:22 AM CDT

Indian adoption law upheld by Supreme Court, but equal protection issue remains undecided

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a federal law giving preferences to tribes in Native American adoptions but left consideration of challengers’ equal protection argument for a future case in which plaintiffs have standing to raise it.

Jun 15, 2023 10:23 AM CDT

BigLaw partner resigns after terminally ill ex-wife posted videos of his tirades

A Greenberg Traurig partner has resigned from the law firm following its investigation into a situation arising from a four-year divorce and custody battle.

Jun 13, 2023 3:24 PM CDT

Lawyer for federal appeals judge barred from new cases finds orders ‘incredible’ and ‘stunning’

A lawyer representing a 95-year-old federal appeals judge is criticizing a judicial council’s refusal to assign her new cases and an investigating committee’s new focus on her failure to cooperate.

Jun 8, 2023 8:58 AM CDT

Lawyer censured for using TeamViewer to snoop on former firm’s business activity

A lawyer in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, has been censured after acknowledging that he “fell into stupid” and accessed his former law firm’s computer system to monitor his former partner’s business activity.

Jun 6, 2023 3:24 PM CDT

We ‘live on a pro se planet;’ 5th Circuit allows parents to sometimes represent children without lawyers

A federal appeals court is giving a pro se parent a chance to persuade a federal judge that she may represent her minor children without a lawyer in a federal lawsuit filed against a Texas school district.

Jun 6, 2023 12:39 PM CDT

Fill the ‘Justice Gap’: Victims of domestic violence need your pro bono legal help

I’ll never forget sitting in professor Sarah Buel’s Domestic Violence and the Law class at the University of Texas School of Law, as she shared her iconic article: Fifty Obstacles to Leaving, a.k.a., Why Abuse Victims Stay.

Jun 1, 2023 11:52 AM CDT

States reconsider the permanent sanctions of child abuse registries

Just one phone call accusing someone of child abuse, whether it turns out to be true or not, can mark that person for life, slapping them with a host of collateral consequences outside of the criminal justice system.

Jun 1, 2023 12:01 AM CDT

Parental Penalties

Parents, like all those returning from prison, face more than 40,000 statutes and regulations nationwide that make reentry into their communities a challenge. Many consequences are imposed indefinitely, impacting the family for the rest of the parent’s life, no matter how long they have been home or how well they reintegrate into society.

Jun 1, 2023 12:00 AM CDT

Rights Work: UChicago constitutional law course brings together incarcerated youths, law students

The eight-week class is designed to give incarcerated youths an opportunity to consider their rights while exposing the law students to the younger students’ worldview through in-class discussions on topics that include freedom of speech, due process and reproductive freedom, along with weekly mentoring sessions.

May 31, 2023 8:12 AM CDT

Colorado bill limits ‘reunification treatment’ in child custody cases, requires training and expertise

Family courts in Colorado custody cases can’t cut off a child’s contact with a protective parent to whom they are bonded just to improve a relationship with a rejected parent accused of abuse or domestic violence, according to a bill signed into law last week.

May 30, 2023 3:37 PM CDT

ABA Military Pro Bono Project has been connecting volunteer attorneys to servicemembers in need for 15 years

It hardly makes sense to ask military members to make the ultimate sacrifice for our country—and then deprive them of access to legal services, says Pamela Stevenson, chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel.

May 22, 2023 8:49 AM CDT