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D. H. v. West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, et al.

Paid petition · Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia, No. 21-0626 · judgment February 1, 2022


Certiorari denied · October 3, 2022
Pre-decision estimate: 1% cert probability

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

Question presented

The West Virginia Statute for Abuse and Neglect falls under the West Virginia Child Welfare Act, found at § 49-1-101 et seq., is a remedial statute designed to help families in crisis access state resources to preserve the family or protect children. The questions presented, upon which the court is asked to opine is: Whether, for the purposes of the due process rights guaranteed to natural parents under the 14th Amendment, is it Constitutional to terminate the natural mother’s parental rights to her surviving child based on her refusal to confess to allegations when the state bears the burden of proof by statute?

Counsel of record

For petitioner
Daniel Kevin Armstrong
Armstrong Law PLLC

For respondent
Lindsay Sara See
Office of the West Virginia Attorney General

Case

Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference

Proceedings

  1. Oct 03 2022
    Petition DENIED.
  2. Aug 10 2022
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/28/2022.
  3. Jul 15 2022
    Waiver of right of respondent West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources to respond filed.
  4. Apr 29 2022
    Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due August 4, 2022)