Children's Rights

Use of ChatGPT to support fee bid is ‘utterly and unusually unpersuasive,’ federal judge says

A federal judge in New York City has reduced a law firm’s fee request by about half after criticizing its use of the artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT-4 as a “cross-check” to determine prevailing market rates for attorneys.

Feb 27, 2024 8:20 AM CST

Protect trans and gender nonconforming students from forced outing, ABA House urges

The ABA House of Delegates on Monday passed a resolution aimed at protecting transgender and gender nonconforming students from forced outing policies.

Feb 5, 2024 4:59 PM CST

History and voices of marginalized communities belong in school curricula and should not be banned, ABA House says

Schools must be allowed and encouraged to include the experiences of marginalized communities in classrooms, along with access to books and resources reflecting their voices, the ABA says.

Feb 5, 2024 4:10 PM CST

Extra protections are needed for youths navigating immigration system, ABA House says

The federal government should better protect immigrant youths, and particularly immigrant youths of color, through the yearslong adjudication of their Special Immigrant Juvenile Status petition and adjustment of their status application to lawful permanent residence, the ABA House of Delegates said.

Feb 5, 2024 11:00 AM CST

Family Limbo: Movement to repeal a Clinton-era law sparks debate about foster care and adoption

The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 sits at the center of a debate among legal scholars, attorneys and activists: Is this law in the best interest of children, or is it unjust and unconstitutional?

Feb 1, 2024 3:00 AM CST

Interested in policy supporting homeless youths? ABA group provides guidance

“Best practices have changed, and how this crisis unfolds itself is changing,” says Richard Hooks Wayman, a liaison to the ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty. “We thought it was time to really pick up on what we’ve been learning in the field over the last 15 years and come out with a new publication.”

Jan 18, 2024 9:09 AM CST

These 3 organizations are using innovative methods to help older youths in foster care

In our final story of the year for our Children & the Law series, we are focusing on the needs of older foster youths about to transition out of care and what supports and services make a difference in their lives. Here are three ways that organizations around the country are helping with this essential work.

Dec 18, 2023 8:22 AM CST

Supreme Court declines to consider challenge to conversion-therapy ban; 3 justices would have heard case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to consider a challenge to ban in Washington on conversion therapy for LGBTQ minors, prompting dissents from three justices.

Dec 11, 2023 2:05 PM CST

Citing allegations of ‘unimaginable suffering’ by child sex-abuse survivors, judge allows class action against Pornhub

Updated: A federal judge in California has certified a class action lawsuit alleging that online pornography companies were willfully blind to child sexual-abuse material that appeared on their websites.

Nov 22, 2023 10:02 AM CST

Family members who step in to care for children can get extra support with ABA guidance

In late September, the U.S. Administration for Children and Families published a rule urging child welfare agencies to develop different standards for grandparents, aunts and uncles or other kinship caregivers who step in to raise children who can no longer live with their parents. The ABA Center on Children and the Law is now working to assist these states.

Nov 8, 2023 3:10 PM CST

Christian student will receive $150K in suit alleging school meditation program included Hindu ritual

A former public school student who alleged that she was coerced to participate in a school meditation ritual that violated her Christian religious beliefs has accepted a $150,000 offer of judgment from the Chicago Board of Education and the foundation that developed the program.

Nov 7, 2023 9:08 AM CST

Migrant family-separation settlement provides path to asylum, 8-year ban on Trump-era policy

The U.S. government has agreed that for the next eight years, it won't reinstate a Trump administration zero-tolerance policy for illegal immigration that led to the separation of thousands of immigrant children from their families.

Oct 17, 2023 9:32 AM CDT

Former Cohen Milstein partner pleads guilty to child-porn possession

A former partner at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll has pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography after his arrest as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Oct 5, 2023 10:45 AM CDT

For 30 years, ABA Children’s Rights Litigation Committee has trained and supported kids’ lawyers

The Children’s Rights Litigation Committee “has just been a fantastic banger of the drum that kids need true representation, just like anyone else who’s inside a system that is making incredibly impactful decisions about their lives,” says Angela Vigil, the longest-serving member of the committee.

Sep 21, 2023 8:50 AM CDT

Family First: A group of Washington lawyers works to keep infants with their mothers

While family separations have long been the norm when treating babies born dependent on substances, recent research suggests allowing a mother to stay with and care for her infant significantly improves their health outcomes.

Sep 7, 2023 11:06 AM CDT