A federal judge in Newark has dismissed a suit by three divorced fathers who claim that case law, court rules and statutes concerning child custody in New Jersey fail to provide sufficient protection of their rights in family court proceedings.
The state court judges who are named as defendants in the suit are not proper defendants, and some of the constitutional claims made in the suit are duplicative of claims raised in previous lawsuits, U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty said in his decision dismissing the suit. Furthermore, the relief being sought, including a request for an injunction against “refusing to provide parents with adequate notice and a meaningful hearing at a meaningful time following the removal of children from their homes” is vague and unworkable, McNulty ruled.
