Lawyers Back Custody Bill; Group Says It Falls Short

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota's lawyers are supporting legislation to establish child custody guidelines for judges to follow in divorce cases, but a group advocating for a shared parenting law says it doesn't go far enough.

South Dakota Bar Association Executive Director Tom Barnett says the bill would eliminate inconsistent orders where a judge in one jurisdiction makes a custody determination far different from a judge in another jurisdiction — when the facts of the cases are similar.

Casey Wilson, a Flandreau father and member of South Dakota Shared Parenting, calls the bar's proposed legislation an "incremental change." He tells the Argus Leader it won't change the fact that one parent is awarded custody of children when both parents are capable.

Even so, Wilson says the bill would "move the ball forward."

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