Disagreeing with a family court order is what family law attorneys are for. Acting on that disagreement is a felony that can follow you into every future custody fight.
These charges usually surface during a contentious family law case, when one party refuses to return a child or attempts to leave with them despite a court order. It is a felony.
You may disagree with what a family court judge ordered, but that fight belongs in court, which is what family law attorneys are for. Consider the downstream effect as well: a felony conviction over a custody dispute becomes part of the record in every future argument about who should have custody.
Citation: Texas Penal Code §25.03
Degree and classification: State jail felony.
Statutory language: A person commits an offense if they take or retain a child under 18 in violation of a custody order, or without awarded custody remove the child from the judicial district during a pending custody suit, or take the child outside the United States to deprive another of custody. A defense exists for returning the child within three days.