Divorce becomes next battleground as states debate family values

Photo credit: Magnific. Article by Anna Claire Vollers. Stateline – September 11, 2026.

Cerina Fairfax, a Virginia dentist and mother of two, spent nearly two years living in the same house as her husband while she was trying to divorce him. Virginia state law required couples with children, like the Fairfaxes, to wait a year before being allowed to file for divorce. Cerina’s husband, former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, had also tried different legal tactics to prolong the process. In March of this year, a judge granted Cerina sole custody of their children and ordered Justin to move out. A few weeks later, with just days left before his move-out deadline, Justin fatally shot Cerina and then himself, police say, while their two teens were also in the house. […]

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