Recently, a number of Pennsylvania Superior Court cases have been published pertaining to jurisdiction in child custody cases. The cases of R.M. v. J.S. , C.L. v. Z.M.F.H. and B.J.D. v. D.L.C. will be addressed in this article.
Jurisdictional disputes in child custody cases are always a hot topic for family law practitioners. In 2004, Pennsylvania enacted the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA). Prior to the enactment of the UCCJEA, the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act (UCCJA) governed in Pennsylvania. The UCCJEA was adopted in Pennsylvania to provide clearer standards for the determination of jurisdiction in child custody disputes. However, questions continue to remain regarding the interpretation of different sections of the UCCJEA.
