The New Jersey State Bar Association has significant concerns about amendments made to S4510/A5761 this week that would place children squarely in the middle of high conflict custody cases, removing protections that safeguard their best interests. These amendments disallow therapy for children without the consent of both parents and erase judicial discretion to evaluate child custody cases using the best interest of the child standard in place of a standard that focuses on the child’s preference and both parents’ consent to therapy.
We urge you to reject these new amendments and reinstate the amendments that were passed in June 2025 when this bill was originally voted on. Please see the comments attached for an explanation of these concerns.