Grandparents Rights
54 articles
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Alabama Grandparents' Rights: Visitation Law After Ex parte E.R.G.
Alabama grandparent visitation law after the state's top court struck the old statute: the current presumption, standing rules, and how to petition.
Alaska Grandparents' Rights: The Harm Standard After Husby v. Monegan
Alaska requires clear and convincing proof of harm before a court can order grandparent visitation over a fit parent's objection. What the law and case law say.
Arizona Grandparents' Rights: Visitation and Custody Under ARS 25-409
Arizona's grandparent visitation and custody law in one statute: standing triggers, the special-weight standard, and how the adoption cutoff works.
Arkansas Grandparents' Rights: Visitation Law After Linder v. Linder
Arkansas grandparent visitation after Linder v. Linder: the 2019 rebuttable-presumption fix in Act 679, standing triggers, and what courts have not yet tested.
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California Grandparents' Rights: Visitation Law Under Family Code 3104
California grandparent visitation law: the filing bar while parents are married, the presumptions against visitation, and how to petition.
Can Grandparents Get Custody?
Can grandparents get custody of a grandchild? The real standard (unfitness or extraordinary circumstances), when it applies, and kinship-care resources.
Colorado Grandparents' Rights: Family Time Law After the 2023 Recodification
Colorado's grandparent 'family time' law was recodified in 2023. What the current Title 14 statute requires, and why the old Title 19 cites no longer apply.
Connecticut Grandparents' Rights: The Harm Standard Under Roth v. Weston
Connecticut requires proof of real harm before a court can order grandparent visitation. What the law and Roth v. Weston require, honestly explained.
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DC Grandparents' Rights: Visitation Under the Third-Party Custody Act
DC has no separate grandparent visitation statute. Visitation runs through the Third-Party Custody Act. How standing, the presumption, and procedure work.
Delaware Grandparents' Rights: Third-Party Visitation Under 13 Del. C. Section 2412
Delaware lets any adult petition for visitation, but a fit, objecting parent still gets real protection. How Delaware's two-part standard actually works.
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Florida Grandparents' Rights: Visitation and Custody Laws
Florida grandparent visitation is only available after a parent's death, disappearance, or incapacity. What the law allows, and what it does not.
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Georgia Grandparents' Rights: Visitation Law and the Harm Standard
Georgia grandparent visitation requires clear and convincing proof of harm to the child. Standing triggers, the legal standard, and how to file.
Grandparent Visitation Rights
Grandparent visitation rights explained: what Troxel v. Granville actually requires, the five state approaches, standing rules, and the real odds of winning.
Grandparents' Rights by State: Visitation Laws and Standards
Compare grandparents' rights in all 50 states and DC: which require proof of harm, use a legal presumption, or are governed by court rulings, not statute.
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Hawaii Grandparents' Rights: Two Visitation Statutes Explained
Hawaii has two grandparent visitation routes with different standards. What each requires, and what the law does not say about adoption.
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Idaho Grandparents' Rights: The Statute Struck Down in Nelson v. Evans
Idaho's grandparent visitation statute was held facially unconstitutional in Nelson v. Evans (2022). What that ruling means for Idaho grandparents now.
Illinois Grandparents' Rights: The Harm Standard Under §602.9
Illinois grandparent visitation requires proof of undue harm to the child, not just a best-interest finding. Standing triggers and the real standard.
Indiana Grandparents' Rights: Visitation Law and Standing Triggers
Indiana grandparent visitation applies the fit-parent presumption at a special weight standard. Standing triggers and the adoption survival rule.
Iowa Grandparents' Rights: The Rebuttable Presumption Under §600C.1
Iowa grandparent visitation applies only after a parent's death, and requires clear and convincing evidence to overcome a presumption favoring the parent.
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Kansas Grandparents' Rights: The 2024 Nonparent Visitation Law
Kansas rebuilt its grandparent visitation law in 2024. What the new three-part standard requires, and how it differs from the old statute.
Kentucky Grandparents' Rights: Visitation Laws and the Walker v. Blair Standard
How Kentucky grandparent visitation actually works under KRS 405.021 and Walker v. Blair, plus custody, adoption, and filing basics.
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Louisiana Grandparents' Rights: Visitation, Custody, and Post-Adoption Contact
Louisiana grandparent visitation under Civil Code Art. 136 and R.S. 9:344, plus its unusual post-adoption continuing-contact remedy.
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Maine Grandparents' Rights: Why Rideout and Pitts Control, Not the Statute
Maine grandparent visitation under Section 1803, Rideout v. Riendeau, and Pitts v. Moore, which the Law Court called unsettled.
Maryland Grandparents' Rights: The Koshko Standard Behind a Bare Statute
Maryland grandparent visitation is governed by Koshko v. Haining, not the two-sentence statute. Custody, adoption, and filing explained.
Massachusetts Grandparents' Rights: The Blixt v. Blixt Harm Standard
Massachusetts grandparent visitation under G.L. c.119 Section 39D really means Blixt v. Blixt's significant-harm standard. Here's how it works.
Michigan Grandparents' Rights: How the Law Was Rebuilt After DeRose
Michigan grandparenting time under the post-DeRose MCL 722.27b, its presumption and 8-factor test, custody, adoption, and filing.
Minnesota Grandparents' Rights: An Honestly Unsettled Standard
Minnesota grandparent visitation under Section 257C.08 and SooHoo v. Johnson, which left the standard for grandparents genuinely untested.
Mississippi Grandparents' Rights: The Martin v. Coop Factors Explained
Mississippi grandparent visitation under Section 93-16-3 really runs on Martin v. Coop and Zeman v. Stanford. Here is how the standard works.
Missouri Grandparents' Rights Laws: Visitation, Custody, and the Intact-Family Bar
Missouri grandparent visitation law, the 2002 intact-family bar, and why courts have narrowed these cases to occasional, minimal contact.
Montana Grandparents' Rights Laws: Visitation, Custody, and the Presumption You Must Overcome
Montana lets any grandparent petition for contact, but Polasek v. Omura requires courts to weigh a fit parent's wishes first. What that means.
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Nebraska Grandparents' Rights Laws: Visitation, Custody, and the Clear-and-Convincing Standard
Nebraska requires clear and convincing proof of a significant, quality bond, not just frequent contact. What Nelson v. Nelson actually requires.
Nevada Grandparents' Rights Laws: Visitation, Custody, and the Presumption Against Visitation
Nevada presumes AGAINST grandparent visitation once a parent denies it. What the clear-and-convincing standard requires, and how modification differs.
New Hampshire Grandparents' Rights Laws: Visitation, Custody, and Two Doctrines That Are Not the Same
New Hampshire's visitation statute and its custody-intervention doctrine are two different standards. Why confusing them misleads grandparents.
New Jersey Grandparents' Rights Laws: Visitation, Custody, and the Harm Standard the Statute Doesn't Mention
New Jersey's visitation statute reads like a bare best-interest test, but Moriarty v. Bradt requires proof of harm first. What that actually means.
New Mexico Grandparents' Rights Laws: Visitation, Custody, and the Special-Factors Requirement
New Mexico requires special factors beyond its 8-factor statute before visitation can override a fit parent. What Williams v. Williams actually requires.
New York Grandparents' Rights Laws: Visitation, Custody, and Two Tracks Inside One Statute
New York's DRL 72 covers both visitation and custody, under different standards. What E.S. v. P.D. and Suarez v. Williams each actually require.
North Carolina Grandparents' Rights: Visitation and Custody Laws
North Carolina grandparent visitation and custody law: standing rules, the intact-family bar, and what Owenby v. Young and Alexander v. Alexander control.
North Dakota Grandparents' Rights: Visitation and Custody Laws
North Dakota grandparent visitation law after Hoff v. Berg: the Nonparent Custody and Visitation Act's caretaker and harm standards, explained.
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Ohio Grandparents' Rights: Visitation and Custody Laws
Ohio grandparent visitation law after Harrold v. Collier: the special-weight requirement, standing triggers, and the honest odds of winning a case.
Oklahoma Grandparents' Rights: Visitation and Custody Laws
Oklahoma grandparent visitation law: why Neal v. Lee makes this a harm-standard state, not just a rebuttable presumption, and what that means in practice.
Oregon Grandparents' Rights: Visitation and Custody Laws
Oregon grandparent visitation and custody law under ORS 109.119: the presumption a grandparent must rebut, and why courts declined a harm requirement.
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Pennsylvania Grandparents' Rights: Visitation and Custody Laws
Pennsylvania grandparent custody law after D.P. v. G.J.P. and the 2018 Act 21 fix: the current standing triggers, and why older sources may be wrong.
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Rhode Island Grandparents' Rights: Visitation and Custody Laws
Rhode Island grandparent visitation law: three overlapping statutes, the clear-and-convincing standard, and why the U.S. Supreme Court cited RI as a model.
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South Carolina Grandparents' Rights: Visitation and Custody Laws
South Carolina grandparent visitation law under Section 63-3-530(33): the Camburn v. Smith standard, the de facto custodian track, and the honest odds.
South Dakota Grandparents' Rights: Visitation Law and the Troxel Gap
South Dakota's grandparent visitation law reads permissively, but no court has tested it against constitutional fit-parent protections. What that means.
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Tennessee Grandparents' Rights: Hawk v. Hawk and the Substantial Harm Standard
Tennessee requires grandparents to prove danger of substantial harm to win visitation, a rule its own courts set in Hawk v. Hawk before Troxel existed.
Texas Grandparents' Rights: The Significant-Impairment Standard
Texas grandparents must prove denial of access would significantly impair the child to overcome a presumption favoring a fit parent. Here is how the law works.
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Utah Grandparents' Rights: The Presumption and Rebuttal Grounds
Utah requires clear and convincing evidence of a caregiver relationship or parental unfitness before a grandparent can win visitation. How the law works.
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Vermont Grandparents' Rights: A Bare Best-Interest Law Untested Against Troxel
Vermont's grandparent visitation statute has no fit-parent presumption and has not visibly changed since 1984. Here is what that unresolved gap means for you.
Virginia Grandparents' Rights: No Separate Visitation Statute, and an Actual-Harm Standard
Virginia has no dedicated grandparent visitation statute. One legitimate-interest law covers custody and visitation, requiring clear and convincing evidence.
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Washington Grandparents' Rights: The State That Became Troxel v. Granville
Washington's old grandparent visitation law was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in Troxel. Its rebuilt statute now requires proof of harm twice over.
West Virginia Grandparents' Rights: Three Standards Depending on How Your Case Arises
West Virginia does not have one grandparent visitation standard. Which of three statutes applies to your case can decide the outcome. Here is how they differ.
Wisconsin Grandparents' Rights: Michels v. Lyons Sets the Real Standard
Wisconsin's grandparent visitation statute reads like a bare best-interest law, but a 2019 court decision requires clear and convincing evidence. Here is how.
Wyoming Grandparents' Rights: A Thin Statute Untested Against Troxel
Wyoming lets a grandparent sue for visitation at any time with no trigger required, but no court has tested that bare text against fit-parent protections.