Damned for Using Daycare: Appellate Brief of Jennifer Ireland in Ireland V. Smith

Authors

Julie Kunce Field, Washburn University Law SchoolFollow

Abstract

At issue is custody of three-and-a-half-year-old Maranda (date of birth: April 22, 1991). The trial court found that Maranda had an established custodial environment with her mother, Jennifer Ireland, but then nominally ordered custody changed to Steven Smith. The court's order changing custody was based on a determination that day care is an inappropriate choice for care of a preschool child, and that no one effectively can be a single parent and a student at the same time. Those findings have no factual basis in the record, no legal basis under Michigan law, and no logical or even common sense basis at all. In addition, the trial court in effect gave custody of Maranda not to Smith, but to his parents, who were not even parties to the custody action.

Recommended Citation

Julie K. Field, Damned for Using Daycare: Appellate Brief of Jennifer Ireland in Ireland V. Smith, 3 Mich. J. Gender & L. 569 (1996).
Available at: https://repository.law.umich.edu/mjgl/vol3/iss2/6