Texas Supreme Court Rules in Major Parental Rights Case

Austin, Texas – The Texas Supreme Court issued their decision today in the Relator C.J.C case allowing a biological father to retain custody of his daughter. This ruling affirms parental rights and custody laws in Texas, with the decision saying “The Court recognized that the United States Constitution ‘protects the fundamental right of parents to make decisions concerning the care, custody, and control of their children.’ To protect that right, a plurality in Troxel applied ‘a presumption that fit parents act in the best interest of their children.’”

Texas Values President and Attorney Jonathan Saenz said “This is a victory for common sense and parental rights. As we said in our legal brief, if courts begin requiring fathers to share their parent privileges with other men who have no familial relationship with their child, then the status of fatherhood becomes diminished—and so do the incentives of men to become fathers and to fulfill their duties. This precedent would impact these legal rights for mothers as well.”

Texas Values believes that strong families are founded on the ideal of a lifelong marriage of one man and one woman, and is committed to connecting children to their mothers and fathers, for the good of children and society as a whole and therefore has filed a legal Amicus Brief in support of the father’s sole custody with the Texas Supreme Court.

This case revolved around custody of a young girl whose mother was tragically killed in a car accident. The mother and father have been separated, and the father was previously granted joint custody with the child’s mother, which he has continued to have throughout his daughter’s life. At the time of the mother’s tragic passing, she was engaged to another man who is now seeking to have joint custody with the biological father. The child has been living with her father since the tragic accident and the courts have never found the father to be unfit or unable to be the sole legal provider for his daughter.

 

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About Texas Values

Texas Values is the largest statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to standing for faith, family, and freedom in Texas. More information is available at txvalues.org.

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