Civil RTC News
This page lists all of the most recent developments on civil right to counsel across the country. These could be newly created rights to counsel, significant publications, public events, advocacy efforts, or other things that don’t fit into a neat category.
Right to counsel
A court held that when state involvement is imminent in a custody case, the court must appoint counsel for the child.
Right to counsel
A minor has a right to counsel upon request in proceedings to dispense with parental consent for an abortion.
Right to counsel
There is a right to appointed counsel in guardianship proceedings, and the State pays if the person is indigent, but it requires a request.
Right to counsel – Consent to treatment plan
For minors and incapacitated persons, there is a right to counsel regarding consent to a treatment plan.
Right to counsel
Certain indigent elders have the right to counsel in involuntary protective cases as do indigent disabled individuals in non-emergency matters.
Right to counsel
There is a right to counsel in sexually dangerous person commitment proceedings.
Right to counsel
There is a right to counsel for a person subject to a petition for commitment due to tuberculosis, but not other quarantine or isolation orders.
Right to counsel
There is a state constitutional right to counsel for indigent parents in state-initiated cases to dispense with parental consent to adoption.
Discretionary appointment
The Supreme Judicial Court of MA has suggested it can appoint counsel in divorce cases as a matter of due process.
Discretionary appointment of counsel
A court may appoint counsel pursuant to a court rule for a minor who seeks to bypass the parental consent requirement for an abortion.
Right to counsel
All respondents have the right to counsel in mental health commitments, as do adults in substance dependency commitments
Right to counsel
There is a right to appointed counsel for the subject of guardianship proceedings in certain situations.
