Custody Case Could Change Mich. Law

A Michigan judge has opened the door in a case that could grant gay people the right to custody of biological children of their former same-sex partners, the Detroit Free Press reports.

In the case, Renee Harmon is seeking parenting time with the three children she raised with Tammy Davis, the biological mother of the children and Harmon's ex-partner; the women were together 19 years. On Friday, Wayne County circuit judge Kathleen McCarthy ruled that Harmon's request could move forward to determine whether Harmon and Davis had an agreement to share custody.

Currently the only people who can petition for custody are biological parents or the husband of the biological mother if the child was born during marriage. Therefore, McCarthy's ruling "is a historic moment," Harmon's lawyer Dana Nessel said, adding that she believes joint custody will be granted because she and her client can easily prove that a custody agreement existed between the women.

Read the full Free Press story here.