'Born in Jerusalem' passport case returns to court

Class Action News


The Supreme Court is taking its second look at a dispute over the wording of U.S. passports for Americans born in Jerusalem, a case with potential foreign policy implications in the volatile Middle East.

The justices are hearing arguments Monday in a lawsuit filed by the parents of Menachem Zivotofsky, an American who was born in Jerusalem in 2002.

The family is invoking a law passed just before the boy was born to try to force the State Department to list Menachem's place of birth as Israel on his U.S. passport.

Administrations of both political parties have said the law is contrary to long-held U.S. policy that refuses to recognize any nation's sovereignty over Jerusalem until the Israelis and Palestinians resolve the city's status through negotiations. The country of birth is almost always listed on the passports of foreign-born citizens. But for those born in Jerusalem, just the city name is used.

The status of Jerusalem is among the thorniest issues in the region. Israel proclaims a united Jerusalem as its eternal capital. The Palestinians say their independent state will have east Jerusalem as its capital.

Tensions are high between Israelis and Palestinians over Jerusalem and relations are strained between the Obama administration and the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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Grounds for Divorce in Ohio - Sylkatis Law, LLC

A divorce in Ohio is filed when there is typically “fault” by one of the parties and party not at “fault” seeks to end the marriage. A court in Ohio may grant a divorce for the following reasons:
• Willful absence of the adverse party for one year
• Adultery
• Extreme cruelty
• Fraudulent contract
• Any gross neglect of duty
• Habitual drunkenness
• Imprisonment in a correctional institution at the time of filing the complaint
• Procurement of a divorce outside this state by the other party

Additionally, there are two “no-fault” basis for which a court may grant a divorce:
• When the parties have, without interruption for one year, lived separate and apart without cohabitation
• Incompatibility, unless denied by either party

However, whether or not the the court grants the divorce for “fault” or not, in Ohio the party not at “fault” will not get a bigger slice of the marital property.

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New York & New Jersey Family Law Matters We represent our clients in all types of proceedings that include termination of parental rights. >> read