Recently in Other Family Law Issues Category

The push for marriage equality has hit Illinois once again, with proponents reintroducing a bill earlier this week that would recognize gay marriage. Previous attempts have failed to produce much more than the separate-but-almost-equal civil union arrangement. Should the bill pass as written, Illinois would become the eleventh state to recognize same-sex marriage.

In other words, whether you are for it or against it, this is potentially a very monumental piece of legislation. But the debate could become completely irrelevant in a matter of months.

Why?

Criminal lawyers deal with crime. Employment lawyers deal with jobs.

What do family lawyers deal with? Divorce, prenuptial agreements, child abuse, retirement planning, contracts, and a number of other fields.

The second half of our 10 most popular posts of 2012 (the first five can be found here) cover the gauntlet of family legal issues, from a woman's role in the household to celebrity child custody disputes.

Family. For some, it evokes warm memories of holiday dinners. For others, it means divorce, stabbings, and dirty, dirty affairs.

Our readers seem to have preferred the latter in 2012, though we must admit, the law usually doesn't come into play until someone is stabbed or a marriage is dissolved.

Late last week, word emerged that Illinois, less than two years after allowing civil unions, was quite possibly on the verge of introducing the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, which would add Illinois to the ever-growing list of states that allow same-sex marriage. After a few hiccups, it finally passed the Senate committee and was ready for a full vote by a lame-duck legislature.

And then it wasn't.

Friday's legislative session was canceled and as a result, the bill was shelved, according to the Sun-Times. That doesn't mean the end of the battle. In fact, it may even be reintroduced today, as the 98th General Assembly is sworn in. To prevail, it will still have to overcome a few remaining obstacles, however.

You’ve heard of that poor kind-hearted man in Kansas, right? He answered an online advertisement for a lesbian couple that was seeking a sperm donor. The parties came to an agreement, signed a contract, and one of the women conceived a child.

Hard times hit and the couple applied for state benefits. Kansas sued the sperm donor for child support because the parties did not use a doctor in the insemination process, reports the Associated Press.

It started with an unpaid gas bill. Tatiana Meakens' attorney blamed the fire on the conditions imposed upon Meakens and her family on the landlord, who she argued cut off the gas as part of an attempt to evict the family at Christmas time. The landlord, Daniel Spaulding, told FOX Chicago that the gas was turned off by People's Gas, and the meter removed, because Meakens had not paid her bill. He tried to discuss the matter with the gas company but was unable to because he was not on the bill.

He did, however, warn her not to use space heaters due to the fire risk.

It wasn't exactly a space heater that led to the fire. It was a hot plate, which was being used to heat the children's bedroom. Both Javaris, 2, and Jariyah, 3, died in the fire. Darnell, 7, and Marquis, 4, escaped the blaze.

There are few things more tragic in this world than a dead baby resulting from a teen pregnancy. This is made even more so by the sheer preventability of these situations by birth control, parental attention, adoption, and safe haven laws.

Late last week, a teen showed up to the hospital with “complications.” Of course, it was going to be obvious to any medical professional that she had recently given birth. She admitted that she had done so on Thursday of last week, two days before going to the hospital, reports ABC Chicago.

Some might say that we’re living in a new reality post-Columbine, post-Virginia Tech, and more recently, post-Sandy Hook. Sadly, while mass murder isn’t a new concept (see the origins of “going postal” for a prime example), the recent spate of school shootings should have educational institutions worried. Many have implemented new security measures and called for other reforms to reduce the likelihood of repeat occurrences.

Another question, which unfortunately must be asked, is what is the school’s liability in these situations? Often, the possibility of liability can provide additional incentive to increase safety measures.

We’re not implying that schools don’t care or aren’t already doing everything that they can. However, a financial incentive might help to free up additional funding from state and local governments which in turn might increase student safety.

Can a school, and by extension, the city and state, be held liable?

Humorous prank or child abuse? Is it possible to be both at the same time?

Andre Curry, the father behind a viral image of a bound 22-month-old baby, was found guilty of charges of aggravated domestic battery and aggravated battery today, reports the Chicago Tribune. He faces up to seven years in prison for the two convictions. In announcing the verdict, Judge Lawrence Flood stated:

"To use a child...as a toy or a prop in an odd attempt at humor is conduct of an insulting or provoking nature."

For many, the surest path to prosperity is a college education. Sure, a degree -- even a recently acquired DePaul law degree -- guarantees nothing. Still, the odds indicate a higher earning capacity and a (hopefully) easier life if one graduates from an institution of higher learning. Like most parents, you'll want to ensure that your children get to enjoy those benefits.

If you're absolutely broke, and will be absolutely broke when your child goes to college, financial aid will cover most, if not all, of your child's expenses. If you're filthy rich, paying tuition won't be an issue either.

But the vast majority of Americans fall somewhere in between. If they fail to plan ahead, their children could graduate with an albatross of student loan debt suffocating their hopes and dreams.