More Information:
June 5, 2000
The U.S Supreme Court today ruled grandparents do not have the right to court-ordered visits. The justices threw out a Washington state law that granted visitation rights to grandparents even if the parents objected.
Groups siding with a Washington state mother at the center of the case are applauding the court ruling. The winning lawyer says the court recognized that parents have a right to raise their children without state interference.
News Specialist Lisa Conley has reaction from some Utah grandparents.
This is an emotional issue for both sides of the families.
On one hand you have grandparents who want to spend time with their grandkids, and on the other hand parents who may not want them to be part of their kids' lives.
Today's ruling weighed heavily in favor of the parents.
Helen Kroeger/Grandparent: "ITS WRONG. THE GRANDPARENTS HAVE RAISED THEIR CHILDREN AND NOW THEY SHOULD HAVE A RIGHT TO HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THEIR GRANDCHILDREN."
Helen Kroeger's words echo the feelings many grandparents have. And today those feelings grew stronger with a controversial ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The court ruled that parents do not have to allow grandparents visitation rights to their grandchildren.
The ruling left many Salt Lake senior citizens shaking their heads.
Helen Kroeger/Grandparent: "I'D FEEL TERRIBLE IF MY CHILDREN DID THAT. I KNOW THEY WOULDN'T, BUT I'D FEEL TERRIBLE IF THEY DID."
Helen enjoys a good relationship with her children and has helped to raise all of her grandchildren, but not every grandparent is so fortunate.
In Utah's state district court, there are currently nine grandparent visitation cases pending.
These cases could be affected by today's ruling because the states are now being told just to stay out of such disputes.
And, unless a grandparent can prove that their grandchild is being mistreated, visitation rights will most likely be out of the question.
That is a fact many grandparents have a hard time accepting.
"THATS MY LIFE. I REALLY LOVE MY GRANDCHILDREN AND MY GREAT GRANDCHILDREN."
Local attorneys who are familiar with the issue of grandparents' rights say the ruling essentially moves the law back to where it was decades ago, before states began passing laws giving grandparents specific visitation rights.
