Last month, a judge in DuPage County vacated a support order based on a 40-year-old Illinois law. The law allows judges to order divorced parents—but not parents who are still married—to contribute to their children’s college (or other post-secondary education) expenses even after the age of 18. While the judge’s recent ruling is not precedential, it has set the stage for serious change in the state.

The Case in Question

The circumstances that led to the ruling could describe those in any number of Illinois families. The student in question was a young woman who spent many years interested in marine biology. Her divorced parents supported her interest, and her father financed several dive excursions for her in exotic locations. Her father was so supportive that he even offered to pay for her full college education if she chose one of two specific schools offering a course of study in marine biology—one in Hawaii and the other in California.

For those who travel by air regularly, a team of attentive flight attendants may make each trip a more enjoyable experience. The flight attendants themselves enjoy some pretty nice perks, such as the ability to travel the world. Unfortunately, however, flight attendants are also subject to instances of sexual harassment—behaviors that have been described as “rampant” throughout the airline industry.

A Troubling Study

The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) recently conducted a survey of more than 3,570 flight attendants from 29 U.S. based airlines. The study’s participants were 80 percent women and 20 percent men, which is consistent with the gender distribution for flight attendants nationwide. The survey found that 68 percent—more than two-thirds—of the respondents have experienced some type of sexual harassment during their careers as cabin crew members.

In just a short time, school-aged children throughout Northern Illinois will be exchanging their textbooks for sunscreen, as summer vacation will soon be upon us. For their part, many parents are also looking forward to a summer filled with family gatherings, day trips, and outdoor adventures. Parents who share parenting time with a former spouse or partner, however, may have to do a little extra planning before they can truly enjoy the warmer months ahead.

What Does Your Parenting Time Plan Say?

If you are subject to a child custody order—also called a parenting plan—the order may spell out summer specifics in regard to parenting time. For example, your plan may explicitly state that your children will be with the other parent for the duration of the summer break, especially if you have primary residential responsibilities during the school year. Other plans may split parenting time during the summer the same way it is divided during the non-summer months. In more casual situations, you may even have the freedom to make parenting time arrangements on a week-by-week basis with the other parent.

For many people, professional sports cheerleaders present an ethical dilemma. On one hand, the women who are a part of professional cheerleading teams are generally independent and empowered, and they voluntarily sign up for a high-profile role within the specific organization. On the other hand, arguably professional sports cheerleaders use their physical appearance, charisma, and sex appeal to promote the team under which they are employed.

As with any profession that involves sex appeal, there are likely to be instances where cheerleaders may be placed in uncomfortable situations, some of which may even rise to the level of sexual harassment or sexual misconduct. A recent report suggests that this may have been the case for members of the Washington Redskins cheerleading team during a trip to Costa Rica in 2013.

Unexpected Spectators and More

Since 2016, the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (IMDMA) has included a specific formula for divorce courts to use when calculating how much one spouse must pay to the other in the form of maintenance, also known as spousal support or alimony. The formula is based on each spouse’s annual income and is intended to provide additional support for spouses who earn substantially less than their partners earn. When the formula was created in 2016, it was meant to be applied in situations where the spouses earned less than $250,000 per year combined. Thanks to an update to the law that was passed last year, the formula must now be used in many more situations.

Determining the Need for Maintenance

Maintenance is not automatic in an Illinois divorce. The judge presiding over a particular case must determine if a bona fide need for spousal support exists. In making that determination, the court will consider a number of factors, including each spouse’s age, health, income, and employability, as well as the arrangements that have been made for the couple’s children, if any. The court must also take into account the length of the marriage, the standard of living established, and sacrifices or contributions made by either spouse to the other’s career.