Can I Bring My Children To Court?
This question came to me from one of my recently acquired clients. My client is going through a very contested divorce with her husband and felt that her five children had a lot of input into exposing the situation with her husband, specifically his abusive behavior and his drinking habits. She wanted to know whether or not it was a good idea for her to bring her children to court to support her arguments. I explained to her that generally, the rule is, that children do not attend court hearings, unless, the court specifically request the children attend or you have received some sort of subpoena from the other side.
Either parent should try to keep their children away from the divorce proceedings as much as possible. This includes abiding by the following best practices:
- Do not discuss your case with your children
- Do not let the children read any pleadings from your case whatsoever
- Don’t discuss happenings from the court hearing.
- Most importantly, do not encourage them, as I have seen many times, to write letters to the judge on your behalf and against the other parent.
Judges are primarily concerned with the children’s best interests. And they do not feel that bringing children to a court hearing is in their best interest. It is considered detrimental to the child’s emotional well-being. For that reason judges really frown upon it and if you do, by some chance, bring your children to court they will most likely not be able to enter the courtroom. In some cases you may even be reprimanded for doing so.
Just remember, that attending court can be an extremely emotional and traumatic experience for your children, especially when it involves one parent fighting and attacking the other parent. Be mindful of your children’s well-being and keep them as far away from the court and from your divorce process as much as possible.
If you have questions or would like to discuss your specific situation further, please do not hesitate to schedule a consultation to meet with our experienced family law attorneys. Contact our office at (702) 998-1188, info@ljlawlv.com, or by scheduling a consultation online.
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