grandparents rights by state

March 1, 2017

THE POWER WE WEILD AS GRANDPARENTS

The Loving support for a child is magnified when it comes from Grandma and/or Grandpa. Most kids can count on their parents loving them and lots of them know their Grandparents love them as well. The magic is when they are made to feel special by your showing up at things like plays and sporting events. We all crave love and approval and in the case of our grandkids they are like a vacuum cleaner when it comes to taking […]
June 4, 2015

A SMALL BUT SIGNIFICANT STEP TOWARDS GRANDPARENTS RIGHTS

  I have taken great pains to explain why there will never be a sweeping single piece of legislation that covers Grandparents Rights. I wish it wasn’t so but that is the reality. I guess the question is; Now what do we do?. The answer is in the state legislatures. An example of progress is the Oregon State House Bill 3014 that has been approved by both houses and is awaiting Gov. Kate Brown’s signature. I have often stated that, […]
February 19, 2015

THE STATE OF GRANDPARENTS RIGHTS

GRANDPARENTS RIGHTS are a matter for the States to determine. It is fair to ask; Why are their no Federal Laws governing GRANDPARENTS VISITATION RIGHTS?  I have written in the past about the one attempt back in the early 80’s to look at GRANDPARENTS RIGHTS at the Federal Level.  This will be installment 1 of an 8 part series of articles. The other parts will show up here in the days to come. I will then report on the conclusions […]
October 13, 2011

Grandparents visitation rights in Virginia

In the USA there is no uniform grandparents visitation rights law. Each state has its own set of rules loosely based on a the 2000 US Supreme Court decision Troxel. In the state of Virginia, determining Virginia grandparents visitation rights is further complicated by the fact that there is no state statute dedicated to those rights. Instead Virginia addresses custody and visitation in the same set of statutes. The statutes refer to parents and to “persons of legitimate interest,” including […]
October 8, 2011

Grandparents rights in Utah

Grandparents rights in Utah are a contentious issue as they are in every state. Of course, as everywhere many people in Utah believe that family is the most important thing in life. Families bring happiness and grief to individuals living in Ogden, Salt Lake, Provo, St. George, and the rest of Utah. The importance of families contributes to the reason why there is so much emotion in family law issues such as child custody.  Because of the importance of families in […]
October 6, 2011

Grandparents rights in Texas

Texas’ concept of grandparents rights is in line with many of the other states I have examined. As always, to get the best overview of grandparents rights in the USA search through my website Caring Grandparents and read my book No Greater Loss. It pretty much goes without saying that everything behind grandparents rights can be incredibly emotional.When grandparents have to seek legal intervention to just see their grandchildren, emotions abound on all sides of the spectrum with the grandparents, […]
October 4, 2011

Grandparents rights in Michigan

Grandparents in Michigan are entitled to grandparents custody and visitation under certain circumstances, but their rights may be subject to parental consent. Primarily, it is the child’s parents’ decision to determine whether a grandparent may visit with a child or not. Most often, grandparents will need to assert their rights only if they have been denied visitation by a child’s parents or custodian. Grandparents’ rights must serve the best interests of the child. If the child’s parent, who is related […]
October 3, 2011

Grandparents rights in Louisiana

As everywhere, grandparents rights in Louisiana are a complicated and tangled affair. I’ll do my best to explain the current situation. More information on grandparents rights in general and an explanation of many of these terms and legal concepts can be found on my website Caring Grandparents and in my book No Greater Loss. About 30% of adults in the U.S. are grandparents, and the number of children living with their grandparents has markedly increased in the last 20 years […]
September 29, 2011

Grandparents rights in South Carolina are constantly changing

One of the difficulties when dealing with grandparents rights is that the laws vary so much depending on your state. Grandparent rights in South Carolina have changed several times due to legal decisions. In some families, the grandparents are an important part of a family’s life and are able to see their grandchildren on a regular basis. In other families, though, the parents of the children may keep them away from the grandparents for their own personal reasons. The rights […]