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Family

Sep. 22, 2026

Too many courts, one child: Fixing California's custody jurisdictional priority problem

Jurisdictional priority among family law, juvenile dependency and probate courts must be reexamined to prevent conflicting orders, unnecessary delays and prolonged uncertainty in the safe placement of minor children.

Daniel J. Kern

Attorney
Law Office of Daniel J. Kern

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Too many courts, one child: Fixing California's custody jurisdictional priority problem
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How should different departments of the Superior Court best exercise their jurisdictional priority concerning cases which involve placement of minor children?

Priority of jurisdiction between the departments of the Superior Court, exclusive-concurrent-jurisdiction, and transfer/coordination rules in the context of family law, juvenile dependency and probate court are designed to prevent conflicting orders and to benefit the minor children who are...

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