Legal Question in Family Law in California

i live in tulare county, california. how old does a child need to be to tell a judge who he wants to live with.??


Asked on 9/23/10, 2:10 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Old enough to talk. However, the judge never has to listen, and cannot, in fact, make the decision based on what the kid says. How much weight the judge gives the child's wishes will depend on how mature, and articulate the child is, and the judge's own internal "guage" of how much that should count in the mix of factors to be considered in deciding what is in the best interests of the child.

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Answered on 9/28/10, 2:25 pm


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