Oregon Supreme Court Hears Arguments In Circumcision Case

Oregon Live reports that the Oregon Supreme Court heard oral arguments yesterday in a case in which divorced parents are battling over whether their 12-year old son who wishes to convert to Judaism can be circumcised. (See prior posting.) The boy's decision came after his father, James Boldt (an attorney who argued his own case in the Oregon Supreme Court), himself converted to Judaism. The arguments turned on whether the trial court should have permitted the boy's mother, who no longer has custody of him, to present evidence on her health concerns about the procedure. Four national Jewish groups have filed a joint amicus briefs supporting the father's right as custodial parent to make the decision for his son. (Full text.)