California Supreme Court
Aug. 20, 2024
Divided state Supreme Court clarifies procedure for Indian child welfare cases
Justice Kelli M. Evans, writing for the majority, said that dependency courts must do extensive diligence to determine if children have Native American ancestry.
Two state Supreme Court rulings on Monday conditionally reversed appellate decisions in dependency cases in which county agencies failed to adequately investigate whether a child is Native American under the state's Indian Child Welfare Act.
In neither case is it clear whether the children involved are Native Americans - but the court majority reversed Court of Appeal orders and disapproved a host of others so that a further inquiry can be conducted in juvenile court.
<...For only $95 a month (the price of 2 article purchases)
Receive unlimited article access and full access to our archives,
Daily Appellate Report, award winning columns, and our
Verdicts and Settlements.
Or
$795 for an entire year!
Or access this article for $45
(Purchase provides 7-day access to this article. Printing, posting or downloading is not allowed.)
Already a subscriber?
Sign In