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SCRA in Child Custody Cases

By Natasha Gonzalez
December 26, 2006

Ongoing United States military involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan and across the globe forces military parents to make important and sometimes difficult decisions with regard to their children. The current state of world affairs has resulted in increased deployment of active duty military members and increased activation and deployment of military reservists and National Guard members. Among other things, the mobilization of a military parent may result in the need for legal counsel to deal with complicated child custody issues. As a result, family lawyers dealing with military families must familiarize themselves with the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA).

A Brief History

Prior to its amendment in 2003, the SCRA was known as the Soldiers and Sailors Civil Relief Act of 1940 (SSCRA). It is intended to relieve service members from the strain of litigation during periods of service that would adversely affect their ability to participate in the proceedings. The SCRA affords protection to Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard service members, including active-duty members, reservists and National Guard members called to active duty. Under the SCRA, servicemembers may be entitled to a 'temporary suspension of judicial and administrative proceedings' in civil actions, including domestic relations cases, while the servicemember is deployed. As a result, courts are forced to balance protection of servicemembers' civil rights during military service with the need to resolve matters involving the best interest of children promptly and efficiently.

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