The Walking Dead: Who Is Judith’s Legal Father?
AMC’s The Walking Dead recently premiered its season 8 debut. For the uninitiated, The Walking Dead follows former deputy sheriff Rick Grimes and others as they navigate a post-apocalyptic world of zombies (which they call “walkers”).
The Human Element of The Walking Dead
Even more interesting than interactions with the walkers, the show focuses in on the interaction between people. Rick and the gang have fought off a host of bad guys. A one-eyed psychotic governor. Bar-B-Que loving cannibals. Most recently, a baseball bat-wielding sadist with a sophomoric sense of humor.
But the most fascinating part of the show may just be its human drama surrounding relationships between Rick and his family. Last season, Rick made a startling admission to Michone. Michone is a samurai sword brandishing badass and Rick’s current love interest. The admission concerned Rick’s daughter, Judith.
When the apocalypse started, Rick had been separated from his wife, Lori. Lori escaped the initial chaos with Rick’s best friend, Shane. Shane and Lori thought Rick had died with the initial wave of walkers, and Shane and Lori became romantically involved.
Lori and Shane’s relationship ended when they learned Rick was still alive. Inevitably, tensions rose between Shane and Rick, which lead to Rick killing Shane. Eventually, Lori gave birth to a child, Judith, though Lori did not survive the birth.
Which brings us back to Rick’s admission to Michone. Rick tells Michone he knows that Shane is Judith’s biological father.
So who is Judith’s legal father?
Title IV-D of the Social Security Act requires each state to set up an administrative mechanism for establishing and enforcing child support orders. Florida tasks the Department of Revenue with these administrative duties.
Rather, when I act as the neutral mediator, I prefer to practice face-to-face mediation.
