Chafin v. Chafin, No. 11-1347; U.S. Supreme Court; opinion by Roberts, C.J.; concurrence by Ginsburg, J.; decided February 19, 2013. On certiorari to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction requires the judicial or administrative authority of a contracting state to order a child returned to her country of habitual residence if the authority finds that the child has been wrongfully removed to or retained in the contracting state. The International Child Abduction Remedies Act (ICARA) implements the convention in the United States, granting federal and state courts concurrent jurisdiction over convention actions and directing those courts to decide cases in accordance with the convention. ICARA also requires defendants to pay various expenses incurred by plaintiffs associated with the return of children.
