In re Marriage of Little (Little v. Little)

Mr & Mrs Little divorced when Mr Little was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.

Mrs Little was awarded custody of the divorced couple's 2 young children. Mr Little was ordered to pay about $1,200/month in child support.

The next year, Mr Little voluntarily resigned from the Air Force to become a full-time law student.

Due to the massive decrease in his income, Mr Little peititioned the Arizona court to reduce his monthly child support obligation to $240/month. Mr Little loses in the trial court.

Do some jurisdictions balance multiple factors to determine whether voluntary un-employment justifies modification of a child-support order?

Yes. Some jurisdictions balance multiple factors to determine whether voluntary un-employment justifies modification of a child-support order.

Ultimately, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled against Mr Little.

State guidelines for calculating child support in the United States are a function of the parent's income.