Right to counsel

04/28/2021 , North Dakota , Legislation , Termination of Parental Rights (State) - Children , Abuse/Neglect/Dependency - Children

In 2021, North Dakota enacted a bill specifying that in child welfare cases (which includes termination of parental rights), “Counsel for the child must be appointed, regardless of income, unless counsel is retained for the juvenile …  if the child is of sufficient age and competency to assist counsel.”

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.