Family Law News

Judges Can Order Parents To Attend Classes To Ease Divorce Trauma On Children

NEW YORK—Judges in New York State will have the authority to mandate parents involved in custody or visitation disputes to attend certified parent education programs, following a new court rule issued today. The programs, designed to give parents practical tools to reduce the stress of family break-up on their children and protect them from the negative effects of parental conflict, have been available for several years, but until now, judges have only been able to make referrals, not order participation. As a result, compliance with these program referrals has been lower than optimal.

The new rule, which goes into effect immediately, was adopted by the Administrative Board of the Courts and promulgated by Chief Administrative Judge Jonathan Lippman.

“Under the leadership of Chief Judge Judith Kaye, the benefits of parent education programs have been well established in New York,” said Judge Lippman. “They help reduce parental conflict and ease the trauma of family break-up on youngsters. However, without the authority to mandate participation in these valuable programs, judges are finding that litigants are not complying with their referrals. This new court rule will give teeth to a judge's order, which ultimately serves the best interests of the children and families involved.” Read more at nycourts.gov

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	Did You Know?
	There is a definition for marital status. Marital status refers to the lawful recognition of the agreement between a man and a woman to be husband and wife. Along with the legal marital status of being married, the husband and wife acquire rights and obligations to their respective spouses. The rights and obligations begin when the couple is married and may continue, to a certain extent, even after the termination of the marriage. A family lawyer can help you further define marital status in your state.