Angelica C. v. Jonathan C.

Summary

The Alaska Supreme Court affirmed the denial of Angelica C.'s petition to terminate Jonathan C.'s parental rights based on the sexual abuse that resulted in the child's conception. It held that the superior court properly considered the relevant best-interests factors, reasonably balanced the child's interests against the legislative policy protecting sexual-abuse victims, and did not abuse its discretion in declining to terminate parental rights. The court also rejected Angelica's judicial-bias claim because the challenged rulings were based on evidence presented in court rather than extrajudicial information.