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Familia Interruptus: The Seventh Circuit’S Application Of The Substantive Due Process Right Of Familial Relations, Scott J. Richard

Seventh Circuit Review

For almost a century, the Supreme Court has recognized the substantive due process right of individuals to be free from government intrusion into the control and management of their families. From its inception, however, the Supreme Court’s jurisprudence related to this constitutional right has been ambiguous, as its rhetoric has outstripped its application and explication of this fundamental liberty interest. The Court’s most recent decision on familial rights, Troxel v. Granville, also failed to provide lower courts with proper guidance as to how to apply and protect this due process right. In the context of this confused Supreme Court …