Hughes v. Waters

Citations

• 2026 ND 20

Syllabus

A child's home state under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) is one in which a child has lived with a parent or a person acting as a parent for at least six months immediately before the commencement of a child custody proceeding. N.D.C.C. § 14-14.1-01(6). When North Dakota is not a child's home state, the UCCJEA still permits a North Dakota court to assume jurisdiction over a child custody proceeding in several circumstances, including when: (1) no other courts have home state jurisdiction; (2) no other courts with home state jurisdiction have declined jurisdiction on the ground North Dakota was the more appropriate forum; and (3) no other courts with jurisdiction (whether home state or otherwise) have declined jurisdiction on the ground that North Dakota was the more appropriate forum. N.D.C.C. § 14-14.1-12(1)(d).