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Mattie Walls v. South Carolina Department of Social Services

Paid petition · Court of Appeals of South Carolina, No. 2016-000030 · judgment November 16, 2016


Certiorari denied · May 14, 2018
Pre-decision estimate: 0% cert probability

Before the decision, well below the 4.1% base rate, with no standout signals pointing toward a grant.

Question presented

The South Carolina Court of Appeals affirmed the lower court’s order terminating Petitioner’s parental rights as to Minor Child. The Supreme Court of South Carolina granted a writ of certiorari in the matter but dismissed that writ as improvidently granted. The question presented is as follows: Whether it violates the Due Process Clause of the United States Constitution to terminate a person’s parental rights based on the person’s inability to explain the cause of injuries to a child.

Counsel of record

For petitioner
Julius Holman Hines
K & L Gates LLP

For respondent
Andrew G. Goodson
Andrew G. Goodson, Attorney At Law

Case

Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference

Proceedings

  1. May 14 2018
    Petition DENIED.
  2. Apr 18 2018
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 5/10/2018.
  3. Apr 12 2018
    Waiver of right of respondent Dwayne and Barbara Anderson to respond filed.
  4. Jan 23 2018
    Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due April 5, 2018)