Some 220 children from New Jersey’s foster program found their “forever” homes this week when their adoptions were finalized in court procedures throughout the State. (1) November is recognized as National Adoption Month. In celebration of this, counties throughout the State held a series of activities sponsored in a cooperative…
New Jersey Family Law Blog
New Jersey Company Expands Blind Recall Following Death of Toddler
Hanover Direct Inc., a Weehawken, NJ company, has agreed to recall approximately 495,000 roman shades and 28,500 blinds following reports of the accidental death of a 22-month-old toddler from Cedar Falls, IO. Meanwhile, the blind industry is working to develop better standards for manufacturing safer window coverings in an effort…
Bills Offering More Protection to Domestic Violence Victims Win Assembly Judiciary Committee Approval
Last month the NJ Assembly Judiciary Committee approved three bills designed to help the New Jersey’s domestic violence victims. The bills address the issues of bail restrictions for restraining order violators, self-defense justification pleas, and lease and rental protections for domestic violence victims. (1) Under the first bill, violators of…
Parents Fight School District’s 24/7 Behavior Policy
Can schools dictate student behavior when classes are not in session? That’s the basis for a court battle between parents and the Haddonfield School District. At issue is the District’s “24/7 Policy” which states underage students caught drinking will be barred from sports and other extra-curricular activities. (1) The school…
New Bill Seeks More Training, Parent Involvement for Teen Drivers
A State lawmaker has introduced a new bill that would amend New Jersey’s Graduated Driver’s License program to provide teens with more training and require parental involvement before those teens could obtain their driver’s licenses. (1) This bill comes in response to a national study conducted by the American Automobile…
U.S. Pressures Japan to Act on International Parental Child Abductions
Child custody issues are difficult enough to resolve, but when parents abduct their children to foreign countries, the matters become even more complicated. Child abductions to Japan by parents or other family members prove to be among the most complicated to resolve. The 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects…
Proposed Law Could Make It Easier to Collect Child Support Payments across State Lines
Child support is a court-ordered payment made by the non-custodial parent to help with the expenses of raising the child. It helps to assure that both parents retain responsibility for their children and that children do not suffer financially from the divorce of their parents. Laws regulating child support payments…
NJ Wants Schools to Address Teen Dating Violence
The statistics are alarming: in one year, close to 1.5 million high school students in this country suffer physical abuse at the hands of the person they are dating. (1) This issue is not unique to any specific social, economic or racial group and the most serious cases end up…
How New Health Care Laws Will Affect New Jersey Families
While the debate continues as to whether or not President Obama’s Health Care Reform Plan is beneficial for the country long term, several provisions of that plan took effect this week and are now enforceable by law. Two of these changes, effective September 23, pertain specifically to children. No longer…
“Operation Take Back New Jersey” Offers Safe Way to Dispose of Medications
On Saturday, September 25 New Jersey residents can safely dispose of their expired or unneeded medications through the federal Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) “Operation Take Back New Jersey.” (1) The program was introduced last year in an effort to provide New Jersey residents with a safe and legal way to…