Chafin v. Chafin

Chafin v. Chafin
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued December 5, 2012 Decided February 19, 2013
Full case name	Jeffrey Lee Chafin v. Lynne Hales Chafin
Docket no.	11-1347
Citations	568 U.S. 165 (more) 133 S. Ct. 1017; 185 L. Ed. 2d 1
Argument	Oral argument
Opinion announcement	Opinion announcement
Decision	Opinion
Case history
Prior	Chafin v. Chafin, No. 11-15355-CC, 2012 WL 9083825 (11th Cir. Feb. 6, 2012); cert. granted, 567 U.S. 960 (2012).
Subsequent	Chafin v. Chafin, No. 11-15355-CC, 742 F.3d 934 (11th Cir. Dec. 18, 2013)
Questions presented
Whether an appeal of a district court order under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, providing for return of a child to the country of the child’s habitual residence, becomes moot if the child is returned pending appeal.[1]
Holding
The appeal of a district court's decision to return a child to his country of residence is not precluded by the child's departure from the United States.
Court membership
Chief Justice John Roberts Associate Justices Antonin Scalia · Anthony Kennedy Clarence Thomas · Ruth Bader Ginsburg Stephen Breyer · Samuel Alito Sonia Sotomayor · Elena Kagan
Case opinions
Majority	Roberts, joined by unanimous
Concurrence	Ginsburg, joined by Scalia, Breyer
Laws applied
International Child Abduction Remedies Act

Chafin v. Chafin, 568 U.S. 165 (2013), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held the appeal of a district court's decision to return a child to his country of residence is not precluded by the child's departure from the United States.^[2] It arose from the divorce proceedings of Mr. and Ms. Chafin; she wanted their daughter to live with her in Scotland, while he wanted her to remain in the United States with him.