The Court of Appeals of Arizona, Division 1, affirmed a ruling by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Suzanne E. Cohen, holding that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, 135 S. Ct. 2584 (2015), does not require Arizona to retroactively deem a woman to be a legal parent of children adopted by her same-sex spouse at a time when Arizona did not recognize their same-sex marriage or allow second-parent adoptions. Judge Jon … <Read More>
de facto parent
Hawaii Supreme Court Allows Gay Dad to Seek Custody as De Facto Parent
The five members of the Hawaii Supreme Court unanimously ruled on November 3 in A.A. v. B.B., 2016 Haw. LEXIS 280, that a gay dad can seek joint custody of the kids that were adopted by his partner during their relationship and who he helped to raise. The opinion by Justice Richard W. Pollack reversed a trial judge’s ruling that a “de facto” parent had to prove that there was a compelling state interest to … <Read More>