Public-domain · open source
OpenJurist

Wis. Stat. § 822.21

Initial child custody jurisdiction

Known as the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act

The act spans §§ 822–822 (39 sections).

Applied in 3 court decisions — leading case 40 Kan. App. 2d 551 - In Re the Adoption of Baby Boy M. (2008)

Most recently applied in Stephen R. v. Ilana C. (December 2010)

2005 a. 130

How often courts cite this section

2007201010
citing decisions per year

Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.

(1) Except as provided in s. 822.24, a court of this state has jurisdiction to make an initial determination only if any of the following applies:

(a) This state is the home state of the child on the date of the commencement of the proceeding, or was the home state of the child within 6 months before the commencement of the proceeding and the child is absent from this state but a parent or person acting as a parent continues to live in this state.

(b) A court of another state does not have jurisdiction under par. (a), or a court of the home state of the child has declined to exercise jurisdiction on the ground that this state is the more appropriate forum under s. 822.27 or 822.28, and all of the following apply: 1. The child and the child’s parents, or the child and at least one parent or a person acting as a parent, have a significant connection with this state other than mere physical presence. 2. Substantial evidence is available in this state concerning the child’s care, protection, training, and personal relationships.

(c) All courts having jurisdiction under par.

(a) or (b) have declined to exercise jurisdiction on the ground that a court of this state is the more appropriate forum to determine the custody of the child under s. 822.27 or 822.28.

(d) No court of any other state would have jurisdiction under the criteria specified in par. (a), (b), or (c).

(2) Subsection (1) is the exclusive jurisdictional basis for making a child custody determination by a court of this state.

(3) Physical presence of, or personal jurisdiction over, a party or a child is not necessary or sufficient to make a child custody determination.

Official source: Wisconsin State Legislature. Reproduced from public-domain Wisconsin statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.