Minnesota Family Law Reform

06/06/2026

The “Best Interests of the Child” standard is not unique to Minnesota or the United States. It is the dominant custody standard used throughout much of the world and is rooted in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

Countries across North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and much of Latin America use a best-interests framework when making decisions involving children. While each country applies the standard differently, the common principle is that a child’s safety, well-being, stability, and healthy development should be the primary consideration in decisions that affect them.

Minnesota Family Law Reform supports the Best Interests of the Child standard. Children deserve decisions that prioritize safety, stability, healthy development, emotional well-being, and meaningful relationships.

The challenge is not whether the standard exists, it is whether it is applied consistently, transparently, and based on measurable evidence.

Minnesota’s best-interests law exists, but inconsistent implementation can leave children and families in legal limbo. We support reforms that strengthen accountability, require measurable findings, improve safety screening, and promote timely decisions so child-centered outcomes are consistent, transparent, and evidence-based statewide.

Children deserve decisions that are timely, transparent, data driven, and truly in their best interests.

06/06/2026

05/23/2026

Every year, children are wrongfully removed from or retained outside the U.S. in violation of parental rights. International parental kidnappings (IPK) of U.S. children have been reported in countries all over the world.

Ahead of National Missing Children's Day on May 25, 2026, learn more about the FBI's roles in IPK cases in this Q&A with FBI Special Agent Ingrid Arbuthnot-Stohl of FBI - Seattle—including how to report suspected IPK and how to keep your kids safe.

🔗fbi.gov/news/stories/raising-awareness-international-parental-kidnapping

05/20/2026

Two siblings in Utah, Ty and Brynlee Larson, reportedly locked themselves inside an upstairs bedroom for 54 days during a highly publicized custody and reunification dispute now featured in Hulu’s The Nightmare Upstairs.

“When we talk about parental alienation in the context of custody battles, it’s often the case that allegations of parental alienation are leveled in response to allegations of abuse. That’s how the litigation game is played.” — Attorney Wesley Hutchins, counsel for Jessica Zahrt

The case has sparked national conversations about child safety, abuse allegations, parental alienation claims, and reunification practices inside family court.

Cases like this continue to raise difficult but necessary questions:

* How should courts balance abuse allegations and parent-child relationships?
* What metrics should be standardized in reunification, and best practice to stop communication from the alienating parent during the reunification process?
* How do we reduce emotional harm to children during prolonged litigation?
* What accountability exists when systems fail families?

No matter the perspective, children should never become collateral damage in family court conflict.

05/16/2026

“If you don’t control your kids, the District will,” says U.S. District Attorney Jeanine Pirro.

Under D.C.’s curfew and delinquency laws, parents or guardians may now face enforcement actions when a minor’s curfew violation is connected to a Teen Takeover incident in D.C.. Under D.C. Code § 22-811, adults can be held accountable for knowingly enabling, facilitating, or permitting delinquent acts.

Since launching on August 7, 2025, the D.C. Safe Task Force’s multi-agency initiative has reportedly contributed to major reductions in violent crime across Washington, D.C., with a strong focus on cracking down on “Teen Takeovers” disrupting neighborhoods and businesses.

Officials stated that parents may face fines, court-ordered classes, and up to six months jail time depending on the circumstances.

Authorities emphasized that parental accountability is a public safety issue. Research continues to show that lack of parental supervision, family instability, and adverse childhood experiences are major risk factors tied to juvenile delinquency, violent crime, gang involvement, substance abuse, and incarceration later in life.

05/16/2026

"This is about parents' rights. Being a grandparent doesn't give you inherent rights to your grandchildren," Scott Naso told ABC News' Juju Chang. "Being grandparents, in my opinion, is a privilege."

A Rhode Island father is speaking out after winning a legal case against his late wife's parents regarding visitation rights with his daughter.

"Being grandparents, in my opinion, is a privilege," Scott Naso told ABC News' Juju Chang.

Naso said he has been living in "survival mode" since his wife, Shahrzad "Sherry" Naso, died two years ago and he became embroiled in a legal battle with his in-laws.

Read more: https://abcnews.visitlink.me/mC_tYF

05/10/2026

Today, we honor the strength, resilience, and enduring love of mothers fighting to stay connected to their children.

Happy Mother’s Day.💐

05/08/2026

Child support enforcement in Minnesota operates under Title IV-D of the Social Security Act, a federal-state enforcement and reimbursement program.

Under Title IV-D:

• The federal government reimburses states for operating child support enforcement programs
• Federal reimbursement for eligible administrative costs is generally approximately 66%
• Minnesota charges a 2% “cost recovery fee” in many IV-D child support cases under Minn. Stat. § 518A.51
• Federal law also requires a $35 annual collections fee in certain non-public-assistance IV-D cases once collections exceed a federal threshold
• Passports can be denied or revoked when child support arrears exceed $2,500 and are certified through the federal system

Example:

A parent ordered to pay:
$1,000/month in child support

A 2% IV-D cost recovery fee may also apply:
$1,000 + $20 fee = $1,020/month

Depending on the case structure:
• The obligor/payor may owe $1,020
OR
• The recipient may receive $980

Additional enforcement actions available under federal and state law can include:
• Wage garnishment
• Tax refund intercepts
• Driver’s license suspension
• Professional license suspension
• Passport denial certification

MFIP/TANF Cases:

In some MFIP/TANF public assistance cases:
• Child support rights are assigned to the state while assistance is being received
• Some child support collected may be retained as reimbursement for public assistance expenditures
• Federal reimbursement formulas may also apply
• Not all support collected necessarily goes directly to the family during the assistance period

Minnesota also receives:
• Federal administrative reimbursements
• Federal incentive payments tied to child support enforcement performance measures

Federal passport enforcement authority allows:
• Denial of passport applications
• Denial of passport renewals
• Revocation actions in certain circumstances after federal certification of arrears exceeding $2,500

Minnesotans can review:
• Minn. Stat. § 518A.51
• Title IV-D of the Social Security Act
• Federal passport denial authority under 42 U.S.C. § 652(k)

In coordination with , will revoke U.S. passports of those who owe significant child support debt. Anyone owing child support debt should arrange payment now with the relevant state child support enforcement agency to prevent passport revocation. If outside the U.S. when their passport is revoked, individuals with significant debt will be eligible ONLY for a limited validity passport for direct return to the United States. Learn more at travel.state.gov/childsupport.

04/29/2026

A child’s rejection of a parent isn’t always a simple choice, and it shouldn’t be judged by intensity alone. In high-conflict or coercive dynamics, rejection can develop over time through pressure, fear, guilt, loyalty conflicts, and disrupted attachment.

When a child learns that showing love toward one parent comes with emotional consequences elsewhere, rejection can become a form of adaptation, not independence.

What we see on the surface, resistance, anger, distance, may reflect deeper experiences like confusion, shame, divided loyalties, and loss of agency.

For courts and professionals, the responsibility is to look beyond what the child says and understand what may be shaping it.

Children need adults who can tell the difference between voice and influence, preference and pressure. When we miss that, children are left carrying adult conflict as if it were their own.

04/27/2026

Another tragedy. Another custody battle.

In Massachusetts, a mother is now accused of killing her two young children in the middle of an active divorce and custody dispute. Court records show both parents were fighting for custody and the family home, with a guardian just appointed days before the deaths.

This is the pattern we keep seeing. Custody disputes escalate, systems follow process, but no one is tracking the full picture, mental health, instability, and risk. Family court documents the conflict, but it does not connect the warning signs into prevention. This is not just about custody. This is about building a system that recognizes escalation before it turns into loss.

A Wellesley mother accused of murdering her two children was pursuing custody of them and their home, according to court records.