FREMONT

FREMONT, as you go to the polls today remember this--
"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten we belong to each other." ~~~~ Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Removal of a child from a country without the noncustodial parent's consent is enforceable under an international child abduction treaty

"In Abbott v. Abbott, a dispute between the American mother and British father of a 15-year-old boy that has been closely watched by family and international law practitioners, the justices, voting 6-3, resolved a split among the federal circuits over the meaning of so-called ne exeat clauses in child custody orders.

"The Convention defines 'rights of custody' to include rights relating to the care of the person of the child and, in particular, the right to determine the child's place of residence," wrote Kennedy. "Mr. Abbott's joint right to decide A.J.A.'s country of residence allows him to 'determine the child's place of residence.'"

A sidenote: "This decision is a victory for Sotomayor. "Justice Kennedy's opinion covers much the same ground as her earlier dissent [in the 2nd Circuit case, Croll v. Croll]," International law scholar Duncan Hollis of Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law stated: "It's my sense that the majority here adopts her analysis step-by-step, in terms of looking at the treaty's text, its object and purpose, the negotiating history and other foreign law decisions.""

http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202458314102&src=EMC-Email&et=editorial&bu=Law.com&pt=LAWCOM%20Newswire&cn=NW_20100518&kw=International%20Abduction%20Treaty%20Trumps%20Parental%20Rights%2C%20Says%20U.S.%20Supreme%20Court#

Supreme Court Bar Life Terms for Youths Who Haven't Killed

In a 5-4 decision, the U. S. Supreme Court held that sentences of life without possibility of parole for crimes other than homicide that were committed when the offender was under the age of 18 are unconstitutional. The decision, in a Florida case involving an armed burglary conviction, stated such life sentences violated the 8th Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

For a full discussion of the case see http://topics.law.cornell.edu/supct/cert/08-7412

Young Latina's arrest for doodling raises concerns about zero tolerance

Girl's arrest for doodling raises concerns about school's zero tolerance policy. Clearly, the school officials over reacted to this young girl's behavior. Her crime was just the words, ["I love my friends Abby and Faith. Lex was here 2/1/10 :)"] written on the classroom desk with a green marker. For her doodling her love for her friends, Lex was handcuffed, arrested and transported to the police precinct. The principal of the Junior High School in Forest Hills, New York, was the dunce that called the police.

HELLO, school officials PLEASE use sound judgement before acting reckless with our children!

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/18/new.york.doodle.arrest/index.html?hpt=C1

Survey: More than 1 in 10 youth inmates say they were sexually abused

"More than one in 10 juvenile detainees in major U.S. facilities say they experienced some form of sexual abuse or sexual victimization while in detention, according to a report Thursday by the Department of Justice. The report's major finding is only an estimate, due to the inability to verify the information collected through questionnaires. Still, the estimated 12 percent of more than 26,000 detained juveniles reporting sexual victimization by other detainees or staff members brought a pledge of steps to address the issue."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/01/07/detained.youth/index.html