The other Supreme Court decision: It’s a slippery slope from provider to deadbeat

The other Supreme Court decision: It’s a slippery slope from provider to deadbeat - On Parenting - The Washington Post

Many readers weighed in on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on violent video games this week. The controversial ruling that California’s attempt to prohibit renting or selling violent games to minors violated free speech has inspired a spirited debate about parental and industry responsibility.

But the court also issued another ruling this term that will affect millions of families, even if it has received less public attention.
The case is officially called Turner v. Rogers. Unofficially, it was known as the “deadbeat dad” case.
The justices ruled in a 5 to 4 decision (PDF) to uphold the appeal of Michael Turner, a father who had been jailed for a year because he did not — he said could not — pay the nearly $6,000 in child support payments he owed.
The court decided that Turner’s incarceration violated the due process clause because he had not been told that his ability to pay was crucial to the case and the court never determined whether Turner could, in fact, make his child support obligations.

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