Court Rules on Child Support

Montgomery, AL – (AP) - The Alabama Supreme Court has set a legal precedent in the state by ruling that child support payments are not automatically extinguished when parental rights are terminated.
The court's ruling Wednesday reversed the state civil appeals
court, which had held that a parent who loses rights to a child no
longer has a responsibility to pay child support.
The Supreme Court, split 6-3, said parental neglect could be
rewarded if child support would no longer have to be paid.
In dissent, Justice Glenn Murdock said the issue was one that
the Legislature should address and that the new legal standard
could create uncertainty in the child welfare system.