UPDATE: MI Judge Postpones Custody Hearing for Deployed Sailor
We heard some good news on Fox and Friends this morning on a controversial case out of Michigan, where a deployed U.S. sailor faced the prospect of losing custody of his daughter because he could not appear at a hearing today. The judge in the case has now ordered a delay, saying she didn’t know Matthew Hindes is deployed in the Pacific Ocean.
Fox and Friends has been following the story since Friday, and Brian Kilmeade spoke about the case with Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH).
“We’re very glad that she followed the law. Previously she had said she’d go forward even without Matthew Hindes being present, which would have been a violation of the Service Members Civil Relief Act. It’s good the judge is following the law but we still have Matthew Hindes in a custody battle that’s gonna continue,” said Turner.
Turner, a member of the Armed Services Committee, is fighting for a bill that would prevent judges from considering military service in custody disputes. Military families are concerned that service members could lose out in custody battles because of the fact they have to deploy.
“Unbelievably, family law courts across the country have used deployment time to take custody away from service members. It’s just not right. They’re serving our country. We should honor their service and we should also make certain that this is not a stress factor for our service members where they worry about losing their children,” said Turner, expressing hope that the attention given to this case may help get the bill through the Democrat-controlled Senate.