Practice Areas
Grandparent Rights
There was a case emanating from Washington State (Troxel v. Granville, 2000) which went to the United States Supreme Court and most people believed that grandparent rights were struck down in that case. To some extent, that is true. However, that is because the Washington State statute permitted “any person at any time” to file for rights to grandchildren as against the natural children.
Pennsylvania
has used very tight language in structuring its Grandparent Visitation Act,
and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has approved the Grandparent Visitation
Act. Recently, the United States Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal
from Pennsylvania and therefore, the Grandparent Visitation Act in Pennsylvania
is the law of the State.
Pennsylvania also permits grandparents to have custody of their grandchildren as against the natural parents under certain conditions. In certain situations, grandparents are permitted to adopt grandchildren. The joy of grandparenthood has been laid out in books by well-known people such as Billy Crystal and Willard Scott.
Grandparent Rights FAQs
Grandparent Rights Articles
You may also want to visit our Family Law FAQ and Publications pages for additional information.