Family Law

MacArthur ‘genius grants’ fellows include law prof, domestic violence researcher

Among the winners of the 2024 MacArthur Foundation fellowships, commonly known as "genius grants," are a law professor who studies racial inequities and a researcher who studies the impact of technology on intimate partner abuse.

Oct 3, 2024 2:30 PM CDT

Well-known fathers’ rights lawyer suspended over unreasonable fees; lawyer staffing cited

Updated: A well-known fathers’ rights lawyer has been suspended for charging unreasonable fees of more than $443,000 in eight cases, some involving no more than three months of work.

Oct 3, 2024 11:58 AM CDT

Judge who oversaw handcuffing of sleepy teen on field trip now hearing these cases

A Detroit judge sued for allegedly making an example of a sleepy teenager on a courtroom field trip is back on the bench, but he no longer presides in preliminary stages of serious criminal cases.

Oct 2, 2024 8:57 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: Will the Supreme Court have a role in the presidential election as it enters a new term?

As the justices return to the bench on Oct. 7 for the new term, the unknowable question is whether the U.S. Supreme Court will play a role in the outcome of the November 2024 presidential election. Will this year be like 2000, when a close election was effectively decided by the court’s ruling in Bush v. Gore? Or will it be like 2020, when a close election did not raise any issues for the justices to decide?

Oct 2, 2024 8:53 AM CDT

Suit alleging Jones Day’s family-leave policy discriminates against men can go to trial, judge rules

A federal judge has ruled that two former associates at Jones Day can go to trial on seven claims against the law firm, including allegations that its family-leave policy discriminates against male attorneys.

Sep 26, 2024 10:52 AM CDT

Teen shooters and their parents’ responsibilities examined in Fox’s ‘Accused’

School shootings by youths have risen frequently over the last quarter century, and the past five years reflect a substantially higher number of incidents, according to a recent article published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Sep 19, 2024 8:52 AM CDT

Judge’s advocacy for domestic violence survivors changed Arizona laws

“When I first became a judge, law enforcement and judges basically had the same attitude for domestic violence,” says Judge Elizabeth Finn. “They were quote unquote ‘family disputes,’ and we just wanted them to go away.”

Sep 12, 2024 3:15 PM CDT

9th Circuit allows 2 transgender girls to play on sports teams that align with their gender identity

A federal appeals court on Monday ruled that two transgender girls in Arizona should be allowed to play on school sports teams that are consistent with their gender identity.

Sep 12, 2024 11:07 AM CDT

5th Circuit becomes ‘proving ground’ for aggressive arguments by conservatives

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at New Orleans has become "a proving ground for some of the most aggressive conservative arguments in American law,” according to the New York Times.

Sep 4, 2024 8:59 AM CDT

TikTok can be sued over ‘Blackout Challenge’ that led to death, 3rd Circuit says

A federal appeals court has ruled that a mother of a 10-year-old Pennsylvania girl who died after copying a “Blackout Challenge” that appeared on her TikTok “For You Page” can sue the social media company.

Sep 3, 2024 2:53 PM CDT

Tennessee law denies transgender youths equal access to medical care, ABA says

Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender youths violates the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause, the ABA has argued in an amicus brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court.

Sep 3, 2024 2:00 PM CDT

Divorce attorneys share the most outlandish requests they’ve seen

You don’t have to be a celebrity to make outlandish divorce requests. Divorce lawyers have seen everything, from parakeet-support requests to arguments over who gets to keep the coffee maker.

Aug 29, 2024 8:40 AM CDT

Family sues judge who ordered teen to be handcuffed after she fell asleep

The mother of a teenage girl sued the Detroit judge who detained and handcuffed her daughter after she fell asleep during a field trip to his courtroom.

Aug 22, 2024 10:03 AM CDT

Ex-babysitter who hit infant 40 years ago pleads guilty to manslaughter in his 2019 death

A former babysitter pleaded guilty to manslaughter Wednesday for the 2019 death of a 35-year-old man, saying in an apology letter she hit him when he was a baby 40 years ago.

Aug 22, 2024 9:56 AM CDT

Judge reprimanded for false ‘elder abuse’ claim on Facebook in spat over guardianship case

An Ohio judge has received a public reprimand for inaccurately asserting on Facebook that an elderly woman was removed from her home because of its “deplorable conditions” and her son’s failure to take care of her.

Aug 22, 2024 8:43 AM CDT