November is National Adoption Month! If you have not noticed, the media is alight with articles about adoption issues these days. These range from the Portraits of an Adoption series sponsored by adoption.net to local news coverage about adoption issues. My current favorite is the very well-reasoned response of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute to the recent Reuters series on … [Read more...] about Media Coverage Increases, But Good Placement Remains The Goal This November
KingSpry Blog
Oklahoma Supreme Court Allows Baby Veronica To Go Home With Adoptive Parents
The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Monday lifted a stay placed on an adoption dispute involving a Cherokee girl that was keeping her with her father and blocking an Order recognizing the adoption by her adoptive parents. After a two-year legal battle, Baby Veronica is reunited with her adoptive family. However, the battle may not be over. To recap, in 2009, a couple from South Carolina began adoption … [Read more...] about Oklahoma Supreme Court Allows Baby Veronica To Go Home With Adoptive Parents
Til Death Do U.S. Part: DOMA No Longer Impedes Same-sex Couples from Living in the U.S. Together
While the Supreme Court’s rejection of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, “DOMA” does little to expand the rights of same-sex couples residing in Pennsylvania, as it relates to immigration, same-sex couples may now share the same benefits as their heterosexual counterparts. In defining “marriage” to be between one man and one woman and “spouse” as a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or … [Read more...] about Til Death Do U.S. Part: DOMA No Longer Impedes Same-sex Couples from Living in the U.S. Together
….But Where is the Child?
Yesterday, the Supreme Court of the United States determined that certain provisions of the Indian Child Welfare Act do not apply when Native American birth parents have never had custody of the child. Following the Supreme Court’s decision, the state court must review the case again. Thus, the child’s legal status is still not resolved. The facts of the Supreme Court case are well known and not … [Read more...] about ….But Where is the Child?
One Person’s Trash Is Another Person’s Treasure: Dealing with Former Tenant’s Abandoned Property
Until recently, there was scant legal guidance on how landlords should dispose of former tenants’ abandoned personal property. This resulted in landlords being placed in the precarious position of either suffering expensive delays in releasing an apartment clogged with a former tenant’s personal property or facing significant potential liability for unilaterally disposing of this property. Relief … [Read more...] about One Person’s Trash Is Another Person’s Treasure: Dealing with Former Tenant’s Abandoned Property
Eastern District of Pennsylvania to Decide Whether DOMA Applies to Private Sector
In a matter of first impression, a pending case before the Eastern District of Pennsylvania will determine the application of the Defense of Marriage Act (“DOMA”) to a private profit-sharing plan governed by ERISA. What will this mean for employers and their benefits plans? Regardless of the Court’s decision, this case emphasizes the need for clear communication between employers and employee plan … [Read more...] about Eastern District of Pennsylvania to Decide Whether DOMA Applies to Private Sector
