The Montana Supreme Court issued an opinion earlier this week in a case where NASW earlier filed an amicus brief. The case concerned the parenting rights of individuals in same-sex relationships. NASW had filed an amicus brief supporting recognition of the parent- child attachment between the non-biological mother and the two children she had raised jointly with her partner of ten years. Below are links to the ACLU press release and the court’s decision:
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While adolescents are capable of sound decision-making in more calm and deliberative settings, the brief argues that the stress and time pressure of plea bargaining specifically undermine their ability to knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily waive important legal rights.