Time to go to work!!

I apologize for the absence of posts to the blog. There has been a great deal going on in my law practice and with my campaign for election for Circuit Judge in which I will be on the ballot in the Republican primary in March 2012. I promise to give the blog more attention.

There has been a great deal going on in Alabama over the past months. A major change has occurred in the law concerning the rights of grandparents to have court ordered visitation with their grandchildren. This right that had been granted by statute to grandparents was declared to be unconstitutional by the Alabama Supreme Court this summer. The present status of all grandparent visitation rights is questionable in any case where both the mother and father are fit and suitable parents. I had a case in which the grandparents had court ordered visitation from a prior court order and the court terminated their visitation based upon this ruling of our Supreme Court. I believe that given the Supreme Court's ruling there is no right of a grandparent to come to court and attempt to obtain a court order to have visitation with their grandchildren and overide the wishes of the natural parents if both of the natural parents are fit. This is a difficult issue and is heart breaking on both sides.

I hope everyone has heard of the new immigration law passed in our state. It has been very controversial and is presently being challenged in the Federal courts in an attempt to block its implementation. Some parts have been stayed (blocked) in the enforcement of the Act and others have been allowed to go into force by the federal courts. This legislation will impact all of us in one way or another. I have not had an opportunity to study the Act so as to advise of my opinion on its impact on the average Alabamian. I will do this soon.

God bless you and thank you for following my blog.