NEWSLINK: Supreme Court Refuses to Overturn Pro-Civil Union Decision Involving VA Woman

Excerpts from “Supreme Court won’t decide Va.-Vermont lesbian custody fight”
A news article in the 5/1/07 Virginian Pilot by Christina Nuckols

RICHMOND – U.S. Supreme Court justices sidestepped Monday [April 30th] a rancorous child custody battle entangled in questions over the legal status of same-sex civil unions.

The high court let stand without comment a Vermont state court ruling that a woman in that state has visitation rights with a Virginia child who was conceived by another woman while the two were joined in a civil union. The two women have since split up.

Monday’s action concerns an appeal with the high court that [Isabella’s biological mother Lisa] Miller filed seeking to nullify a Vermont court order that grants her former partner, Janet Jenkins, the right to keep Isabella for one week each month.

…

In a telephone interview Monday, Miller said she is no longer a lesbian, and she accused Jenkins of “religious persecution.”

“She’s trying to say that because of the way I am teaching Isabella to walk with the Lord and that homosexuality is a sin, I am not looking out for Isabella’s best interest,” Miller said.

…

“The highest court in the country will have to deal with this issue,” said Mathew Staver of Liberty Counsel, a Florida-based organization that handles conservative civil liberties cases.

< end of excerpts from article >

Read the entire news article here:
http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=123807&ran=8040

MORE INFORMATION:

According to an update from Liberty Counsel, “In deciding not to take the matter, the Court did not rule on the merits of the case. The case is still pending at the Vermont trial court, following the ruling by the Vermont Supreme Court. Once the trial court rules on visitation and custody, the case will go back to the Vermont Supreme Court and another petition will then be filed with the U.S. Supreme Court.”

Read Liberty Counsel’s update here:
http://lc.org/libertyalert/2007/la043007.htm