The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in the U.S. Congress will hold hearings on Wednesday, December 2 on International Child Abduction and Parental Access with a list of witnesses that includes left-behind parents in several high-profile U.S.
Additional Amicus Briefs in Abbott Case
According to the Supreme Court docket sheet for Abbott v.
Criminal Conviction in Abduction Case
In the latest development in a complex international custody dispute between an American father and Spanish mother, the mother was convicted by a jury last week on criminal charges of custodial interference under New Jersey law. Accounts of the trial are available here and here. The case involves a conflict in jurisdiction between the courts in Spain and New Jersey that has remained intractable despite internati
International Child Abduction, Relocation, and Forced Marriage: Conference set in London
The Centre for Family Law and Practice at London Metropolitan Univeristy has announced the program for its inaugural conference in London from June 30 to July 2, 2010, in London. The conference is intended for judges, academics, researchers and practioners; papers were selected after a call for papers and there is an impressive and interesting line-up of speakers from many countries. Information including links to the conference program and a registration form are
Oral Argument set in Abbott
Abbott v. Abbott has been set for oral argument in the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, January 12, 2010. The petitioner’s merits brief was filed in September and is available on Westlaw, along with a number of amicus briefs (including briefs for the United States and the Hague Conference on Private International Law). Respondent’s brief on the merits is due by November 17, and there are likely to be additional amicus briefs.
Snatchback?
The November issue of Atlantic Monthly: “The Snatchback” by Nadya Labi follows the efforts of a Florida man to re-abduct a 9-year-old boy from Costa Rica after the child was retained there by his biological father. Labi’s long story focuses mostly on the custody dispute and the man hired to carry out the snatching, but she also describes the Hague Abduction Convention and quotes several State Department officials.
State Department ACPIL Meeting
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:
Japan urged to solve global child custody disputes
This Associated Press story, following up on the Savoie case in Japan, is available on the NPR website accompanied by photos showing a meeting on Friday between Japan’s Justice Minister, Keiko Chiba, and the ambassadors from the U.S., Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Italy, New Zealand, and Spain. The ambassadors renewed their demands that Japan sign the Hague Child Abduction Convention, and Japanese officials said once again that they are considering signing the treaty. Christopher Savoie was
Abbott v. Abbott
As the Supreme Court begins its new term this week, their docket includes a Hague Child Abduction case for the first time. The case is Abbott v. Abbott, 542 F.3d 1081 (5th Cir. 2008).
Abduction and Custody Dispute in Japan
There has been significant media coverage of the case of an American father who was arrested in Japan after he took his children from their Japanese mother as she was walking the children to school. The father’s story has gotten more attention in the U.S., but a pair of stories by the Associated Press this week focus first on his story (“American Arrested in Japan for Snatching Own Kids“) and then her story (“