It's not uncommon for divorced or unmarried parents to live in different states, although it typically makes co-parenting more challenging, especially in a joint custody situation. It's also important to understand that a child custody order in one state is valid and enforceable in nearly every other state so custodial parents can't simply pick up and move across state lines without following certain procedures.
That being said, many courts now incorporate innovative concepts, like using video calling for "virtual visitation", when deciding interstate custody arrangements. Read on to learn more about how the law can apply to interstate custody situations.
The Full Faith and Credit Clause and Interstate Custody Arrangements
The Constitution of the United States sets up the "Full Faith and Credit Clause" that requires judges to enforce valid judgments and decrees that are issued by courts in different states.
Even with this clause, in the past, judges would routinely disregard interstate child custody arrangements and orders that were validly issued from courts in different states. Instead, they would issue new orders and judgments based on the evidence that was before them at the time.
As you can imagine, the existence of multiple and conflicting custody awards toward a single child could create great confusion and hardship. If one parent went to take a child based on a custody award from state X, she could be arrested for kidnapping in state Y. However, thanks to the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJA), many of these problems no longer exist.
Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act: Basics
Almost every state and the District of Columbia have enacted the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJA), which sets out standards for courts to make custody determinations and standards for when a court must defer to an existing determination that originated in another state. Of the 50 states, only Massachusetts and Vermont currently do not follow the UCCJA.
In general, under the UCCJA, a state court can make a decision about a child custody arrangement if (these are in order of preference):
Per the terms of the UCCJA, if a state court cannot meet any of the above requirements, the court cannot issue a child custody judgment even if the child is currently present in the state. In addition, if a parent has wrong fully removed and/or retained a child in a state in order to make that state the child's home state, the parent will be denied custody.
If more than one state can meet any of the above tests at the same time, the UCCJA dictates that only one state can issue a child custody judgment. In practical terms, this means that if a state court in one state makes a decision before another court in a different state, the judgment of the first court will be binding.
The UCCJA, State Laws, and Parental Abduction
The UCCJA benefits the laws in all states that follow it by creating consistency in interstate custody arrangements. In addition, it also helps with problems associated with one parent kidnapping a child and then seeking a custody award without informing the court of the situation.
To help illustrate this point, consider the following example:
Suppose that Wilma and Harold were married in California. Harold got a better job in Oregon a few years later so the married couple moved north into Oregon. There, Wilma gave birth to their first and only child Ben. The family lived together in Oregon for 8 years until Harold became upset with Wilma and left her, moving to Texas and taking Ben with him and planning to divorce Wilma. Immediately on getting an apartment in Texas, Harold went to Texas court to ask for a custody award for Ben.
In this example, the Texas court would not able to issue an award of custody, as Oregon is Ben's home state and Ben has no significant connections with the state of Texas. Wilma is free to go to an Oregon state court to request a custody award. However, keep in mind that if Harold had removed Ben from Oregon because Wilma had been drinking and physically abusing Ben, then the Texas court may have been able to assert jurisdiction over the case.
Get Legal Help with Your Interstate Custody Arrangement
While any child custody dispute will be both technically challenging and emotionally difficult, it can be even harder to resolve when the parents live in different states. Thankfully, states work together to help crack down on child abduction and other concerns. But if you and your estranged spouse are unable to reach an agreement, you may need legal help. If you have any questions about interstate custody arrangements, or would like help working through any custody issues, it's a good idea to contact a child custody attorney near you today.
