Politics and Legal Updates

Catholic Views on Divorce may be Changing

July 14, 2015

One reason that stops people from leaving relationships that are damaging is religion. Catholics and other conservative religions look down on divorce. They may go so far as to prevent a divorced person from getting remarried in the religion, effectively cutting them off from social ties. Yet vi...

New Federal Child Support Rules Under Discussion

July 9, 2015

States don't just have their own child support laws, but must also follow federal law on the matter. Last year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Child Support Enforcement put up a list of proposed changes for public comment. The response was positive, though some legisl...

Idaho Passes Child Support Measure After All

June 6, 2015

You may remember the post we had about the Hague agreement and how Idaho may stop that treaty in its tracks. The agreement was to standardize how child support was handled for people in foreign countries. Critics were afraid that people in foreign countries might override the rights of Idahoans. ...

California Initiative Started to Eliminate Spousal Maintenance in that State

June 1, 2015

A California software consultant has taken an unusual step to fight his alimony (spousal maintenance) payments. He has written an initiative to end alimony altogether in the State of California, and has received permission from the Secretary of State to start gathering signatures per California l...

Elise Buie Family Law | Marriage Equality Reaches the US Supreme Court

May 12, 2015

Currently, couples have the ability to marry regardless of biological sex in 36 states. The potential impact of a ruling by the Supreme Court would be to normalize the access to legal rights across all states.

Elise Buie Family Law | Changes Proposed to Custody Laws

April 22, 2015

About 20 states across the US are currently considering proposed legislation that would alter the procedures for determining which parent will retain legal and physical control of a child following a divorce or separation.