Supreme Court of the United States · Official docket →
Denver Ward v. Laura Fisher, et al.
Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, No. 24-5083 · judgment April 1, 2025
Before the decision, well below the 4.1% base rate, with no standout signals pointing toward a grant.
Questions presented
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Does a guardian ad litem violate due process in acting outside the scope of their duties for the child’s best interests when acting in contravention of state law?
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Is a guardian ad litem entitled to quasi-judicial immunity when acting outside the scope of their duties by advocating for one parent over the other?
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Does a court-appointed custody evaluator violate due process in acting outside the scope of their duties for the child’s best interests when acting in contravention of state law?
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Is a custody evaluator entitled to quasi-judicial immunity when acting outside the scope of their duties by advocating for one parent over the other?
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Are guardian ad litems and custody evaluators state actors when their duty is to the Court, not the individual?
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Does an attorney-client agreement qualify as a written contract for purposes of the five-year statute of limitations?
Counsel of record
For petitioner
Donald Eugene Smolen II
Smolen Law, PLLC
For respondent
Bruce Alvin McKenna
McKenna & McKenna
Case
Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference
Proceedings
- Oct 06 2025Petition DENIED.
- Jul 16 2025DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/29/2025.
- Jul 01 2025Brief of respondent Brad Grundy in opposition filed.
- Jun 26 2025Brief of respondent Carol Swenson in opposition filed.
- Jun 24 2025Brief of respondent Dr. Laura Fisher in opposition filed.
- May 29 2025Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due July 2, 2025)