Author: Robert Latham
-
“The first thing I lost in law school was the reason I came”
I came across this post at Poverty Law blog: A student who wants to do work on social justice came to my office and after I emailed him Bill Quigley’s essay, Letter to a Law Student Interested in Social Justice, he sent me a link to Dean Spade’s essay, For Those Considering Law School. Both are…
-
Third DCA issues rule to show cause against APD and appellate counsel
The facts are a classic professional responsibility or CivPro fact pattern. APD and M.B. reached a settlement. APD’s trial counsel courteously agreed to have the hearing taken off calendar, but through some snafu the hearing officer entered a default against M.B. The APD trial counsel acknowledged that this was an error and tried to fix…
-
Georgia: Deprived children and youth have no standing independent of GAL
If there is a holding in this case, it’s this: The protector of a child’s best interests is his guardian ad litem. It has previously been held that, “[w]hen a court appoints a guardian ad litem to represent a minor, the minor is in effect made a party to the action and has standing through the guardian ad…
-
Normalcy Bill passes the House!
I’m happy to report that the Normalcy Bill (HB 0215) unanimously passed the House today. Its equivalent Senate Bill (SB 0164) is on its second reading, which means it could pass very soon.
-
What I’m Reading: Parsing Parenthood
PARSING PARENTHOOD Cynthia Godsoe Lewis & Clark Law Review (Approx. 62 pages) The story public family law tells about parenthood is both inaccurate and normatively misguided. Parents are deemed “bad” because of their need for state support, and the parent-child relationship is accordingly devalued. This devaluation has resulted in costly and ineffective child welfare policies,…
-
What I’m Reading: Children’s Health Rights and Family Preservation
Mutcherson, Kimberly M. WHOSE BODY IS IT ANYWAY? AN UPDATED MODEL OF HEALTHCARE DECISION-MAKING RIGHTS FOR ADOLESCENTS, 14 Cornell J.L. & Pub. Pol’y 251 (2005). Tracy J. Simmons. RELINQUISHING CUSTODY IN EXCHANGE FOR MENTAL HEALTHCARE SERVICES: UNDERMINING THE ADOPTION AND SAFE FAMILIES ACT’S PROMISE OF REASONABLE EFFORTS TOWARDS FAMILY PRESERVATION AND REUNIFICATION, 10 J. L. & Fam. Stud. 377 (2008). Susan…
-
Permanent Guardianship Reversal #2
Permanent guardianships are hard. You have to give people notice, make all these findings, and order visitation and stuff. So annoying, right? This is the second permanent guardianship reversal out of the Fifth DCA this year. I guess they’re winning. Although the trial court’s decision is supported by competent, substantial evidence, the final order itself…
-
Section 39.806(1)(i) now has an expiration date
Three years. As noted above, Appellants’ parental rights were terminated for their previous child, D.B., on June 12, 2009. Almost three years later, on March 31, 2012, V.B. was removed from Appellants’ custody. This time frame is relevant under the holding of F.L. We find that, as a matter of law, such a time frame contains very…