Divorce Mediator Gerald Maggio Analyzes National Debate Over Father’s Rights Ballot Measure

Orange County, CA (Law Firm Newswire) December 23, 2014 – In November, North Dakotans voted down a ballot measure on child custody. The measure would have mandated that judges order equal parenting time in all custody cases between two parents unless there was significant evidence that one parent was unfit.

The measure has made headlines across the country, receiving extensive coverage in national publications, including the Washington Post.

Proponents said that both children and parents would benefit from equal parental roles in the children’s lives. Opponents said that the policy would draw focus from the best interests of the child.

“Many people are unhappy with the way that courts and judges handle child custody cases, and I think this ballot measure was an expression of that frustration,” remarked Gerald Maggio, a divorce mediator in Orange County, California. “Judges, left to their own devices, do not always make decisions that families can live with.”

States such as Arizona and California have taken a different approach to this issue. These states require parents to try, through the use of a mediator, to write a parenting plan together. It is one way that families can avoid leaving it all up to a judge.

Still, even in those states, some cases will end up before a judge. When that happens, Maggio says, no one wins.

“Anytime parents have to go to court because they cannot agree, it creates stress for the whole family, including the child,” commented Maggio. “My hope is that more states will devote more resources to supporting parents – even ones who are bitter from the divorce – through the process of creating a shared parenting plan.”

Learn more at http://www.cadivorcemediators.com/ California Divorce Mediators Main Office 420 Exchange Suite 270-B Irvine, CA 92602 Call: (949) 553-0911 Riverside Office 3750 University Avenue, Suite 670 Riverside, CA 92501 Call: (949) 553-0911