Washington
,
Litigation
, Termination of Parental Rights (State) - Birth Parents
, Abuse/Neglect/Dependency - Accused Parents
In In re Myricks’ Welfare, the Washington Supreme Court held that due process under the state and federal constitutions requires counsel for all indigent parents in state-initiated termination of parental rights cases. 533 P.2d 841 (Wash. 1975). The case preceded the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Lassiter v. Dep’t of Social Services, but has been cited favorably since Lassiter, suggesting its holding is under the Washington State Constitution.
Appointment of Counsel: Yes
Qualified:
Yes
?
If "yes",
the established right to counsel or
discretionary appointment of counsel
is
limited
in some way, including any of: the only authority
is a
lower/intermediate court decision or a city council,
not a high court or state legislature; there
has been
a subsequent case that
has
cast doubt; a statute
is
ambiguous; or the right or discretionary appointment
is not
for all types of individuals or proceedings
within that category.