9 Va. App. In matters of a child's welfare, trial courts are vested with broad discretion in making the decisions necessary to guard and to foster a child's best interests. A trial court's determination of matters within its discretion is reversible on appeal only for an abuse of that discretion, and a trial court's decision will not be set aside unless plainly wrong or without evidence to support it. Furthermore, in our review of a trial judge's custody decision, we view the evidence in the light most favorable to the prevailing party below. 14 Va. App.
Credible evidence supports the trial judge's decision.
The parties' divorce decree was entered in the Louisiana District Court in 1998. Furthermore, neither the parents nor the child currently have any significant contacts with Norfolk, Virginia. None of the parties reside in Norfolk. Neither Buck nor the guardian ad litem agreed to the jurisdiction of the Norfolk Circuit Court. Furthermore, the 24th Judicial District Court of Jefferson Parish has jurisdiction over the location where the child currently resides.