NPO: Reforming Judicial Influence through Temporary Orders

Article here. Excerpt:

'When parents separate, one of the first questions anyone asks is, “What happens with the kids?” Current law in most states gives judges practically carte blanche authority to issue temporary orders that place children primarily or wholly in the care of just one parent. One situation that is all-too-common is that one parent gets custody of the children, and the other is ordered “visitation” every other weekend.

For a child that has previously been with both parents every day, removing one of those parents and offering her or him a mere four to six days out of the month must be very traumatic. However, this trauma is not considered when making such orders, and the right of both parents to care for and provide for the child is rarely upheld in family court.'