Law makers in Tennessee are in a heated debate whether shared custody in divorces that involve children can be a common solution to deicide custody cases in the best interest of children. At the center of the discussion is the question whether it is reasonable that mothers are generally favored by courts to receive (full) custody of their children.

The Oklahoma Supreme Court disqualified a district judge as it believed that he misinterpreted grandparent visitation laws. Judge Charles Gray apparently used “an expansive interpretation of grandparent visitation laws to give the paternal grandparents of a 4-year-old boy physical custody of the child five days a week while limiting the mother to two days.”

Levi Johnston has scored a small legal victory again Bristol Palin. A judge sided with him and has opened the custody case to the public. He apparently agreed that Sarah Palin may be a threat to the case and denied Palin’s claim that a sealed case would be in their son’s best interest. A judge also denied Bristol Palin’s request to run the case using the pseudonyms Jane and John Doe.

21-year-old Spc. Alexis Hutchinson was arrested on November 6 for failing to show up to deploy with her unit to Afghanistan. Hutchison, a single mom and cook, said that there was no one to care for her 10 month old baby.

There is a common perception in this country that divorcing dads will lose their children in custody battles simply by default. However, a report published by Working Mothers magazine published today states that the times may be changing. Dads apparently are increasingly taking over primary child care duties, which puts the in a much better position to get full custody of their children.

“The shifting custody landscape is alarming to working moms, many of whom say they work primarily to provide a better life for their children,” said Working Mother Editor-in-Chief Suzanne Riss. “Women are surprised to learn that time spent in the office is increasingly being viewed by the courts as evidence that they’re less involved in their child’s day-to-day care. It’s important that working mothers understand the changes in custody rulings.”

SingleDadLife has an inspirational article on the relationship between teens and their dads. Especially in single parent environments, the role of the father may appear to be much more complex and difficult to fulfill. Author Ben Murphy has some food for thought for moms and dads.

“As the teenage years progress, there are times that your child will open up and share things with you, and times that they won’t – even if you have a great relationship,” Murphy writes. “Perhaps it’s helpful to understand why teens need their fathers, and what you can do to deepen that relationship.

Levi Johnston, father of Sarah Palin’s grandson Tripp, is reportedly pursuing a joint custody agreement. Johnston claims that the Palin family is making it difficult to see his 10 month-old son.

Earlier today, the U.S. Census Bureau issued an updated its annual Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support with data for 2007. According to the report, almost half of all 13.7 million custodial parents received the full child support owed and almost two-thirds of the total dollar amount was paid. However, nearly a quarter of all custodial parents lived below poverty levels.

Janine Lindemulder said that she wants to resolve the custody dispute with ex-husband Jesse James and his wife Sandra Bullock over daughter Sunny in an amicable way. James received temporary full custody of Sunny earlier this year, when Lindemulder, a porn star, had to serve a six-month jail sentence for tax evasion. Recently released, Lindemulder intends to regain the previous custody agreement, but James and Bullock are now seeking permanent full custody of 5 year old Sunny.

The current exchange of words between Levi Johnston and the Palin’s can only be described as barrage this time, but the vocabulary gets increasingly hostile and indicates that Johnston and the Palins may indeed be on their way to a violent custody battle. While Johnston is still busy shaping a public opinion that the former vice presidential candidate is alienating his son against him, it is widely believed that the Palins are forming a legal strategy against Johnston that will protect their turf and possibly a run for presidency in 2012.

The last thing Sarah Palin needs at this time is an ugly custody war with the 19-year old father of her grandson. It is highly unlikely that she will simply roll over and hand Johnston whatever he wants. Common sense would suggest that a battle strategy is in the making and Johnston should be prepared and brace for impact. Learning, understanding his situation and networking may be a good idea, as so many other single parents have learned.

In the light of the recession and rising unemployment, many states have created so called “child custody employment programs”, which are generally describe as a support system to help fathers meet their child support obligations. However, there is a rather ugly side to this approach. Mr. Custody Coach as an interesting article highlighting some of the problems of these programs.

Former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin could be heading into an ugly court battle. Levi Johnston, father of Palin’s grandson is threatening with legal steps to allow him access to his son Tripp. The 19-year old may have made not so helpful headlines as the date of Bristol an almost son-in-law of the Palins, but a public legal fight may be even less desirable for Sarah Palin, especially if Johnston can provide evidence supporting his alienation allegations.