Legal Question in Family Law in Illinois

Re: Custody

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The child never decides a custody issue, a judge will only do that. Although not a standard by any means, many States have begun to give 'consideration' to a child's declaration of custodial preference when the child reaches the age of twelve or thirteen. In short, there is no specific "age" when a child can say who they want to live with. In most cases the circumstances of the situation will matter as much or more than the child's age. However, that the older the child is the more his or her preferences tend to influence the judge.