The Washington Post has a story today by Staff Writer, Ann Scott Tyson, about parents using military deployment to gain an advantage in custody fights.   Custody fights are hard enough.  Imagine having to fight one from Iraq or Afghanistan.

By federal law, military members can request up to a 90 day delay in child custody proceedings.  But deployments are for 15 to 18 months.

So several states have adopted laws in the past two years to remedy this.  For example, Virginia passed a law this year to bar any permanent change in custody while a service member is deployed.  The District of Columbia does not have such a law.  And a similar law was killed in committee in Maryland this year.

Congress is expected to hold hearings on the issue next year.