"Common Sense" Themes in Divorce Cases

Posted on April 30, 2007 by J. Benjamin Stevens
There are certain truths in all family court cases -- no matter how famous the parties involved or in which state the case is filed.  For instance, James E. McGreevey, the former governor of New Jersey, is going through a "contentious" divorce.  Last Friday, the judge in that case urged the McGreeveys to use “common sense” during their split.

The New York Times article about their divorce case illustrates the following common themes:
  • Judges want parents to use “common sense”
  • Judges want parents to facilitate age-appropriate activities
  • Judges want parents to minimize the potential effects of the proceedings and the parental conflict on the child
  • Judges focus primarily on parenting skills, not side issues like sexual orientation
  • Judges don’t like parents accusing each other of every imaginable error or misdeed
  • Judges don’t want to micromanage a child’s life
  • Judges will employ methods to reduce conflict and to help resolve child-related disputes, such as the appointment a parenting coordinator
Sources:  "Judge Wants Common Sense Used in McGreeveys’ Divorce" published in The New York Times and "Learning From the Contentious Divorce of Former Governor James E. McGreevey" by David C. Sarnacki, published at his Domestic Diversons blog.
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Christine Lyons - May 27, 2007 8:47 PM

Does a Male Child and a Female child (ages 6 and 4 respectively) have to have seperate bedrooms? I live in the State of SC. I am getting a divorce and was told that that according to DSS both parents were to provide seperate bedrooms for each. Please tell me the law concerning this.

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