No. 23-451

Geoffrey Hamilton Woodward v. Sarah Edge Woodward

Lower Court: Tennessee
Docketed: 2023-10-30
Status: Denied
Type: Paid
Response WaivedRelisted (2) Experienced Counsel
Tags: can condition a fit parent's ability to have any consistent with the Due Process Clause child-custody compelling-interest due-process family-court family-law medical-treatment mental-health parental-rights state-interest state-intervention
Key Terms:
DueProcess
Latest Conference: 2024-01-05 (distributed 2 times)
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether a court can condition a fit parent's ability to have any contact with his child on unwanted medical treatment without finding that the treatment is medically necessary to serve a compelling state interest

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

QUESTION PRESENTED A Tennessee family court barred Petitioner from having any contact with his 17-year-old son until Petitioner completes invasive, unwanted mental health therapy, despite finding that Petitioner is a loving, fit parent and that severing the father-son relationship would not improve—and indeed may harm—the son’s relationship with his mother. The question presented is: Whether a court, consistent with the Due Process Clause, can condition a fit parent’s ability to have any contact with his child on unwanted medical treatment without finding that the treatment is medically necessary to serve a compelling state interest.

Docket Entries

2024-01-08
Petition DENIED.
2023-11-29
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/5/2024.
2023-11-22
Waiver of right of respondent Sarah Edge Woodward to respond filed.
2023-10-30
Motion (23M32) for leave to file a petition for a writ of certiorari under seal with redacted copies for the public record Granted.
2023-10-11
MOTION (23M32) DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 10/27/2023.
2023-10-03
Motion (23M32) for leave to file a petition for a writ of certiorari under seal with redacted copies for the public record filed.
2023-10-03
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due November 29, 2023)
2023-08-25
Application (23A177) granted by Justice Kavanaugh extending the time to file until October 4, 2023. The application for leave to file Exhibit A under seal is granted.
2023-08-22
Application (23A177) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from September 3, 2023 to October 4, 2023, and for leave to file Exhibit A under seal, submitted to Justice Kavanaugh.

Attorneys

Geoffrey Hamilton Woodward
Carter G. Phillips — Petitioner
Carter G. Phillips — Petitioner
Sarah Edge Woodward
Helen Sfikas RogersRogers, Shea & Spanos, Respondent
Helen Sfikas RogersRogers, Shea & Spanos, Respondent