The annual meeting of the State Department’s Advisory Committee on Private International Law (ACPIL), held in Washington D.C. this week, included a panel on international family law issues.  The discussion included:

• An update on the Child Support Convention, which is the first treaty to be taken up by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during this session of Congress (see my post on October 7). 
• Abbott v. Abbott, the child abduction case pending in the Supreme Court (see my post on October 5).  Representatives from the State Department described the amicus brief filed by the United States in support of the Petitioner, arguing that a “ne exeat” provision should be considered to give rise to a right of custody under the Hague Child Abduction Convention. 
• Progress on the 1996 Hague Child Protection Convention.  The State Department reported that it is  seeking authority to sign the Convention, and anticipates that it would be implemented primarily through amendments to the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act.