Appeals Court Hears Same-Sex Custody Case in Conn.

A federal appeals court is making a rare appearance in Connecticut to hear several cases, including one involving a Virginia pastor convicted of helping a woman and her child flee the country and avoid a custody dispute with her former lesbian partner.

Three judges on the New York City-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals are scheduled to hear cases Monday at the University of Connecticut Law School, under an occasional practice to hold court across its territory of Connecticut, New York and Vermont.

Pastor Kenneth Miller of Stuarts Draft, Va., is appealing his 2012 conviction in Vermont federal court for aiding in international parental kidnapping. His 27-month prison sentence is delayed while he appeals.

Authorities say the woman and daughter Miller helped are still believed to be in Nicaragua.