What factors does a judge take into account when determining child custody arrangements?
The Jolie-Pitt divorce has been the subject of countless headlines these past couple of months, as people watch with morbid curiosity to see what happens to their children and estate.
The biggest area of contention between the two is child custody. Mr. Pitt is reportedly under investigation on claims of child abuse against his oldest son Maddox. Ms. Jolie-Pitt as petitioned for sole physical of their six children, while Mr. Pitt has sought joint custody.
The two have currently worked out a temporary custody arrangement that allows Mr. Pitt to visit the children pending the outcome of an alleged investigation by child welfare agencies.
In California, where the Jolie-Pitt divorce is taking place, judges tend to want to grant joint custody to both parents, absent extenuating circumstances.
What factors does a judge take into account when determining child custody arrangements?
Like California family law judges, Pennsylvania family law judges take into account a variety of factors when determining custody arrangements; in order to do what they think is in the best interests of the child.
When talking about child custody in Pennsylvania, there are two different categories of custody:
- Legal custody
- Physical custody
Within the realm of legal custody, you can be granted shared legal custody, where more than one party has the right to make major decisions for the children; and sole legal custody, where only one party has the right to make those decisions for the children.