Court Rules on Children’s Constitutional Rights: What You Need to Know
Introduction
We all want to know that our children are safe and protected, but sometimes laws can be difficult to navigate and understand. Recently, a federal district court in Arkansas ruled that parental jail time was a violation of the children’s constitutional rights. Attorney Beth Littrell has been vocal in her opinion that the law should no longer apply. Read on to find out all the details of this intriguing case.
The Ruling of the Federal Court
The federal district court that issued the ruling found that AR Criminal Code § 16-92-116 was unconstitutional because it allowed for the jailing of a parent when children “habitually and without reasonable cause” violated the State’s child support laws. It was found that this created a substantial burden on the parent and that the law was too broadly written.
What This Means For You
The ruling is important for all parents in similar situations as it now gives them the ability to raise constitutional arguments against the criminalization of non-payment of child support. Beth Littrell, the attorney that had pushed for the case to be addressed, has said that she is pleased with the ruling and hopes that the state will take this as a lesson that the law is too strict and should not be applied.
Conclusion
The ruling of the federal court has now shown that jailing a parent for non-payment of child support cannot be used to punish a parent in Arkansas due to their child’s behavior. Attorney Beth Littrell is pleased with the result and hopes that other states will take this case as a lesson that the law should not be applied in such a rigid manner. This ruling brings a lot of questions and points for discussion, and parents in Arkansas should be aware of the ruling and how it affects them.