N.D. Senate Judiciary committee hears hours of testimony on Senate Bill 2383, action postponed

Senate Judiciary Committee members heard more than two hours of testimony Tuesday on Senate Bill 2383, a measure that would shift North Dakota family‑law rules toward a presumption that parents are fit and would create stronger baseline shared‑parenting provisions, then declined to take immediate action and postponed consideration.

The bill’s sponsor, Senator Claire Corey, State Senator for District 42, introduced the measure as a response to constituent concerns and said hearings would include parents who brought the issue forward. "This topic obviously has been big topic for many years," Corey said in opening remarks, and she identified the measure as relating to parental rights and responsibilities.

Proponents told the committee the bill would reduce adversarial custody fights and ensure parents and children are treated equally under the law. Derek Sherwood, a witness testifying in support, argued the current standard forces parents into "a competition for custody for minor Children" and said the bill "mandat[es] that each parent is fit unless has been deemed unfit." Mark Ludwig, another supporter, described his personal…