Frank Sprude - Attorney & Counselor

An award of temporary custody does indicate that you probably have a better chance of being awarded permanent custody. First, the judge determined that you should have temporary custody. Whatever the judge's reasons for this decision, the reasons are likely to still exist when the judge makes a final custody determination. Also, judges prefer to maintain status quo rather than make changes. If you have custody during the divorce process, the judge will lean toward granting custody permanently to maintain the status quo.

That being said, the grant of temporary custody does not guarantee that you will have permanent custody. Circumstances can change during the divorce. Notably, the parent granted temporary custody can mess up and demonstrate to the judge that they should not be awarded permanent custody.