El Paso, TX asked in Family Law for Texas

Q: Do I have any rights over my two kids? My wife took them to Ohio when we seperated. Same sex marriage.

She gave birth to the kids, I raised them since birth. We are still legally married, she has not filed the paperwork yet. The children are 6 and 2.

Related Topics:
2 Lawyer Answers

A: Questions asked on the internet simply cannot be a substitute for actually going to see a family lawyer and having a full discussion. You have to act quickly when thing like this happen. Get to an attorney immediately.

A: Were you married before the children were born? Since same-sex marriage is primarily a creature of the federal courts (as opposed to the legislatures of the several states) I think it is an open question whether one of the parties to a same-sex marriage has parental rights to the children of the other party, even if the child was born during the marriage. It could well be that such rights won't be recognized.

Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.

The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.

Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.