The Best Interests of the Child

When courts need to make decisions about child custody and visitation, they consider what arrangement will be in the child’s best interests. (They are much more interested in what’s best for the child than they are in the parents’ concerns.) Most judges consider things like whether the current situation is working well for the child (if so, they’re unlikely to change it) and which parent will be most likely to support the child’s relationship with the other parent (a cooperative parent definitely has an advantage in a custody dispute). Beyond these basic things, though, each state has its own rules about what is in the child’s best interests. Click on your state below to find out what your state’s rules are, and look at articles and FAQs for more information.

Best Interests of the Child State-by-State:
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
D.C.
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

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