Monasky v. Taglieri - Post-Decision SCOTUScast
featuring Margaret Ryznar
On Feb. 25, 2020, in a vote of 9-0 the U.S. Supreme Court decided Monasky v. Taglieri, holding that a child’s habitual residence under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction depends on the totality of the circumstances specific to the case, not on categorical requirements such as an actual agreement between the parents.
The Hague Convention, and the federal law that implements it in the United States, indicate that a parent whose child has been removed to another country in violation of that parent’s custodial rights can petition in federal or state court for the return of the child to the child’s country of habitual residence. The courts of that country can then resolve any underlying custody disputes.
The opinion was given by Justice Ginsburg. Justice Thomas joined as to Parts I, III and IV, and filed an opinion concurring in part and concurring in the judgment. Justice Alito filed an opinion concurring in part and concurring in the judgment.
To discuss the case, we have Margaret Ryznar, Professor of Law, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.
As always, the Federalist Society takes no particular legal or public policy positions. All opinions expressed are those of the speakers.
Professor of Law, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law
Margaret Ryznar is an Associate Professor of Law at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. She teaches and researches in the areas of family law, tax, trusts & estates, property, and juvenile law. Her scholarship focuses on the rights of family members under federal and state law, with particular emphasis on how family members hold and transfer property among themselves. Professor Ryznar edits the Family Law Prof Blog and has published over twenty law journal articles. Her work has been featured in the media and cited in law journals and judicial materials.
Prior to joining the faculty in 2012, Professor Ryznar served as a law clerk to the Honorable Myron H. Bright of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and practiced law with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP in Washington, DC.
Professor Ryznar is a graduate of Notre Dame Law School, where she served as a Note Editor of the Notre Dame Law Review, competed in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court, and received the Bainbridge Fellowship for the Study of International and Comparative Law. She holds a master’s degree in European Studies from Jagiellonian University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago with majors in Economics; English Language & Literature; Political Science; and Law, Letters, & Society.