7 canonical passages across 6 cases, quoted by 476 opinions in total. These passages cluster together because the same opinions keep quoting them side by side — they state parts of one doctrine. The anchor passage is from In Re MJB.
| # | Case | Flag | Canonical passage | Citers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | In Re MJB Anchor | green | “is among the oldest of the judicially recognized liberty interests protected by the due process clauses of the federal and state constitutions.” | 111 |
| 2 | Means v. Ashby | green | “termination of a person's rights as a parent is a grave and final decision, irrevocably altering the lives of the parent and child involved and 'severing forever all legal rights and obligations' of the parent.” | 98 |
| 3 | In Re Valentine | green | “a court must determine that clear and convincing evidence proves not only that statutory grounds exist for the termination but also that termination is in the child's best interest.” | 75 |
| 4 | In Re MAR | green | “this list is not exhaustive, and the statute does not require a trial court to find the existence of each enumerated factor before it may conclude that terminating a parent's parental rights is in the best interest of a child.” | 74 |
| 5 | White v. Moody | green | “when the best interest of the child and those of the adults are in conflict, such conflict shall always be resolved to favor the rights and the best interest of the child, which interests are hereby recognized as constitutionally protected.” | 69 |
| 6 | In Re Valentine | green | “terms which are not reasonable and related are irrelevant, and substantial noncompliance with such terms is irrelevant.” | 35 |
| 7 | In Re Drinnon | green | “a court must determine that clear and convincing evidence proves not only that statutory grounds exist for termination but also that termination is in the child's best interest.” | 14 |
A red or yellow flag on a member means the underlying case has negative treatment — for those, check the case page before relying on the passage.