Legal developments continue in Texas in the FLDS child custody cases. (See prior posting.) Three FLDS fathers who are in monogamous marriages to women who are of legal age filed habeas corpus petitions in a court in San Antonio seeking return of their children. Today's Salt Lake Tribune reports that James Dockstader, Rulon Keate and LeLand Keate argue that their wives have the same rights to procreate and raise a family as does any other citizen, and the fact that one of their neighbors became pregnant as a minor does not justify removing their children.
Meanwhile, according to today's Dallas Morning News, Texas Child Protective Services has drafted guidelines for "service plans" that parents will need to develop in order to regain custody of their children. CPS has set out 10 goals and 14 tasks that should be included. The guidelines question any form of communal living, require residential buildings to be open for unannounced visits by CPS workers, and mandate that the names of everyone in the home must be given to CPS. The guidelines also call for job training, schooling for children and knowing how to access community resources.
