Can a father take a child across state line from Louisiana to Texas?

Answer 1

Generally, no. You haven't mentioned whether the parents are married or who has legal custody. Generally, one parent cannot remove the child from the other parent without a court order. If the parents are unmarried and there has been no custody order established then the mother has legal custody.

Generally, if the parents are unmarried the mother has sole custody and control in most states until the father can establish his paternity. Remember, a child's mother can always be identified by medical records. Since the father didn't give birth and he was not legally married at the time of the birth he must establish his paternity by signing the birth certificate at the time of birth (waiving DNA testing rights) which must be done with mother's consent.

If he doesn't sign the birth certificate then he must seek another way to establish his paternity and that is done through a DNA test. A paternity test can be arranged through the court. Once paternity is established in court, the father can request visitations or custody through the court. If the mother retains physical custody she can request that the court issue a child support order. If the father gets physical custody he can request a child support order.