This is the first time I’ve heard about a judge specifically ordering this, but I doubt it will be the last:

A New York judge has ordered that a Long Island mother make her two children available to talk to their father via Skype, an online video conferencing service, as a condition of her move to Florida.

This is the first time such a condition has been made on a case in New York, the New York Law Journalreports. But last year, the New York Times reported that a number of states have begun allowing for “virtual visitation,” giving judges the option to keep non-custodial parents in contact with their children via e-mail, instant messaging and Web cams.

In the New York case, Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Jerry Garguilo, in Baker v. Baker, ordered that the mother, at her own expense, “will see to it, prior to re-location, that the Respondent, as well as the children, are provided the appropriate internet access via a Skype device which allows a real time broadcast of communications between the Respondent and his children.”

Via Russell Alexander.  A serious question: now that webcam access is available to anyone with a decent internet connection, might this tip the scales toward allowing parents to relocate with children?