50 U.S.C. § 3951 — Child custody protection

**(a) Duration of temporary custody order based on certain deployments** If a court renders a temporary order for custodial responsibility for a child based solely on a deployment or anticipated deployment of a parent who is a servicemember, the court shall require that the temporary order shall expire not later than the period justified by the deployment of the servicemember. **(b) Limitation on consideration of member’s deployment in determination of child’s best interest** If a motion or a petition is filed seeking a permanent order to modify the custody of the child of a servicemember, no court may consider the absence of the servicemember by reason of deployment, or the possibility of deployment, as the sole factor in determining the best interest of the child. **(c) No Federal jurisdiction or right of action or removal** Nothing in this section shall create a Federal right of action or otherwise give rise to Federal jurisdiction or create a right of removal. **(d) Preemption** In any case where State law applicable to a child custody proceeding involving a temporary order as contemplated in this section provides a higher standard of protection to the rights of the parent who is a deploying servicemember than the rights provided under this section with respect to such temporary order, the appropriate court shall apply the higher State standard. **(e) Deployment defined** In this section, the term “deployment” means the movement or mobilization of a servicemember to a location for a period of longer than 60 days and not longer than 540 days pursuant to temporary or permanent official orders— (1) that are designated as unaccompanied; (2) for which dependent travel is not authorized; or (3) that otherwise do not permit the movement of family members to that location.