Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Summary State judges in Louisiana were surveyed with regard to their beliefs dealing with custody issues. These issues dealt with the relationships between custody decisions and maternal preference, maternal employment, remarriage, joint custody, sexual misconduct, and payment of child support. There was significant disagreement among judges regarding the impact of maternal employment and prior sexual misconduct on custody decisions. There was substantial agreement on the remainder of the issues. The judges exhibited a strong maternal preference. The majority chose neutral responses with regard to the impact of remarriage. There was opposition to joint physical custody. The majority of the judges were opposed to tying visitation to the payment of child support.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Stamps et al. (1998) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: