When a divorce is finalized, the court will pass down certain orders that the parents have to follow. There will be a child custody order, for example. There may be a child support order or even a spousal support order.
But in some cases, temporary orders can be used. These only last for a short time and do not define the long-term arrangement that the court believes is best. So why would they use a temporary order at all, rather than just waiting until the end and issuing the final order?
Stability for children
Temporary orders can quickly provide more stability for the children, and courts tend to operate with the child’s best interests in mind.
For example, a divorce case may take six months before it is resolved. During that time, the child needs to know where they are going to live, which parent will take care of them and who is going to make decisions on their behalf. A temporary child custody order can assign these duties until the divorce is finalized.
Ex parte decisions
A similar idea is an ex parte court decision, which means that the court only involves one parent and not the other. This is often done if there is a safety risk. For instance, perhaps the other parent has been accused of domestic violence or abuse, so the order needs to be issued to keep the child safe until long-term decisions can be made.
Navigating divorce can be complicated from beginning to end, which is why it is so important to understand all of your legal options.
