LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — Domestic Relations Judge Matt Staley took to the podium to speak to Allen County Republicans.
Judge Staley talked about some of the changes he’s seen over the years in court. He also shared insight into how caseloads have shifted over the past two decades, noting a drop in divorce filings, but a rise in cases involving unmarried parents.
“When this position was created back in ’93, they were running about 700 to even 800 new terminations of marriage in this county. We are down now to about 250 new terminations of marriage. The other thing that’s happened is the parenting cases — the unmarried people with children — those have greatly ballooned. And so you see how that’s kind of offset, but it does create a little bit of a different atmosphere as to how you’re handling some of the cases,” Staley said.
Staley noted that one cause of the decline in divorce filings is that fewer people are getting married. He also discussed potential changes coming from the Statehouse, including proposed legislation that could shift how divorces and parenting plans are handled in Ohio.
