C.W.B., JR., by and Through His Guardian Ad Litem, Petitioner v. A.S. and J.S., and Concerning the People of the…

Summary

The court held that foster parents who intervened in a dependency and neglect proceeding did not have standing to appeal the denial of a motion to terminate the mother's parental rights when neither the Department nor the guardian ad litem sought review. Their statutory intervention right was procedural and did not create a legally protected interest in the termination outcome, and the guardian ad litem remained responsible for advocating for the child's best interests on appeal. Chief Justice Rice, joined by Justice Coats, dissented, reasoning that the statutory intervention right conferred standing at all stages of litigation.