Yanking of Concealed Weapons in Domestic Violence Cases

The following is an older case, but it is important to be aware that in the event there is any accusation of domestic violence, its possible that your right to bear arms will be suspended.

Miami Judge Yanks Concealed Weapons Permits
By Megan O'Matz, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
5-23-07 -- People accused of domestic violence must surrender their concealed weapon licenses along with their guns and ammunition under new procedures implemented by the courts in Miami-Dade County. . . . Earlier this month, Amy Karan, administrative judge for the county's Domestic Violence Division, ordered that firearm forms for restraining orders and misdemeanor acts of domestic abuse be revised to specifically require that people give up their licenses to carry guns. . . . The judge said she took the step after reading a South Florida Sun-Sentinel investigation of Florida's concealed weapon system. The newspaper found, among other problems, that 128 people statewide had valid licenses to carry guns despite permanent domestic violence injunctions. Licenses are supposed to be suspended whenever an injunction is in place but mistakes are made and some cases overlooked, the Sun-Sentinel reported. . . . "It didn't sound like it was being done 100 percent of the time," Karan said

Divorce Resources

There is no shortage of materials out there to help someone cope with a divorce. Amazon.com has a variety of different books from getting your love life back on track to helping children through the tough times that a divorce can bring on. While I haven't personally read any of the materials that are offered through Amazon.com, there are many resources on the website that have been read and reviewed and that may provide you with the best book for your current divorce questions and needs. If you are in search of materials which will help you discuss your divorce with your children, or you are simply looking for a book which can help give you the serenity to get through the process, I suggest you search on Amazon.com and find the resources that is best for you.

Helping Kids Cope With Divorce

Many time I have clients asking me whether I have any ideas to help their small children cope with an impending divorce. I usually suggest therapy or other professionals who are trained to help children talk about their feelings and help them come to terms with what is going on in their lives. Many times couples don't believe that their children need any professional guidance and just want to know about a few things they can do at home to help their children with this transition. I found the following link from a California divorce attorney that gives parents some helpful tips that they can do on their own to help transition their children once the divorce process has been commenced:

http://www.cadivorce.com/library/divorceandchildren/lcdactivitiestohelpdealwithdivorce.shtml

Aslyum Ruling Leaves Out Chinese Spouses

(AP) - NEW YORK-The husbands of women forced to abort a pregnancy or undergo involuntary sterilization, or else face persecution under China's coercive population control program, do not automatically qualify for asylum, a federal appeals court ruled Monday.
The ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that U.S. law does not automatically grant asylum to spouses or partners in cases in which the women have been persecuted under China's family-planning policy, which limits most urban couples to one child and families in some rural areas to two.The ruling conflicts with a dozen other federal appeals courts, as well as the findings of the the Board of Immigration Appeals and 10 years of decisions in immigration cases, said Judge Guido Calabresi, who partially dissented. The ruling was unusual because all 12 judges joined the opinion.The court said that the board, which decides whether to accept immigration judges' conclusions, had been too permissive and that spouses do not necessarily qualify for asylum.The majority opinion, written by Judge Barrington Parker, said spouses would have to prove their own resistance to a coercive population-control program or demonstrate a well-founded fear that he or she will be subjected to persecution for resisting the policy.However, the judges said the ruling should not result in the reopening of cases in which Chinese refugees have been granted asylum. The opinion also noted that Congress can rewrite the law if it finds the court's interpretation inconsistent with its intentions.The court was ruling on three separate asylum cases, none involving spouses. Two of the cases involved boyfriends of women awarded asylum, and the other involved a fiance.China's family planning policy was implemented in the late 1970s to control population growth and conserve natural resources. Human rights activists claim it has led to forced abortions, sterilizations and a dangerously imbalanced sex ratio because of a traditional preference for male heirs, which has prompted countless families to abort female fetuses.

Close But No Cigar

The divorce process can be tedious, time consuming and a real test on a person's nerves and patience. The Greg Norman divorce has made headlines for various reasons from the nasty politics to final settlement negotiations. It appears that there is still no final settlement in this case, and the stalling may cost Mrs. Norman millions of dollars. While I am sure that Mrs. Norman's attorneys are trying to get her the best settlement ever, after $100 million, does it really make a difference? Sometimes I think that people underestimate the value of closure. I guess we'll stay tuned to determine whether Mrs. Norman actually signs on the dotted line.

Reasons to Obtain a Post-Nuptial Agreement

A new phenomena is sweeping across the nation and that is Post-Nuptial Agreements. While Post-Nuptial Agreements require greater financial disclosure than your average Pre-Nuptial Agreement, many couples in their second or third marriages are finding them to be a useful tool to insure that their estates are passed onto their own children when they die. With many people on their 2nd, 3rd or even 4th marriages, often times a couple wants to complete the necessary paperwork to insure that their blood children are the beneficiary of their estate upon their death. A Post-Nuptial Agreement can make sure that this happens. While I'm not sure that a Post-Nuptial Agreement is a good idea for everyone, I think it can be a helpful estate planning tool.

If you would like to read the article for which this blog is based, please see: http://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/biz/content/business/BIZLIBERMAN0722.html

Missing Person Playing Cards

I usually use this blog to comment on family law issues or post stories which relate to divorce, child custody, etc. However, I came across an article today, which I find interesting and wanted to share with people who frequent my blog. There are plenty of cold cases out there today where murders go unsolved or missing persons are yet to be found. Florida has put certain cold case information onto playing cards and has given them to inmates for them to play with, hoping that the information on the cards may trigger memories or information that can lead to resolution of some of these cases. Whether inmates actually fess up if they have information is up for debate, but if this approach to solving cold cases ends up with any substantial leads on these old cases, whoever came up with the playing card method should be given a pat on the back.

If you would like to read about this story, please see: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070724/ap_on_re_us/prison_poker