Wednesday, November 29, 2006

More on the Miller-Jenkins opinion

Michael Hardy wrote this article for the Richmond paper, which begins: "In an emotional struggle over parental rights arising from a former lesbian union, the Virginia Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that Vermont courts, not Virginia's, have exclusive jurisdiction in the custody battle. The decision, based on a narrow jurisdictional issue, is a preliminary round in the court battle that probably will reach the Virginia Supreme Court and perhaps the U.S. Supreme Court. Lawyers for the losing, biological mother yesterday vowed to appeal."

The Rutland, Vermont Herald has this report, which begins: "It didn’t take long Tuesday for news of a Virginia court’s ruling in a child custody case to travel north more than 550 miles to Janet Miller-Jenkins’ home in Fair Haven."

The New York Times has this article by Adam Liptak, who concluded: "The decision averted, at least temporarily, a collision between the civil unions for same-sex couples recognized in Vermont and the Virginia law."

Overlawyered has this post, which says in part: "Some social-conservative commentators had unwisely applauded the efforts of Liberty Counsel, a misnamed Religious Right litigation strike force, to help client Lisa Miller evade the jurisdiction of a Vermont court order ordering visitation rights to former partner Janet Jenkins."

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