Troxel, et vir, Petitioners v. Granville: grandparents' rights or parental autonomy?

In December 1993, Garyand JenniferTroxel filed a petition in Washington Superior Court to obtain increased visitation with their two granddaughters under theprovision ofaWashington statuteallowing any person toseekvisitation ofachild ifthevisitation could beshown to be in the child's best interest.' The trial courtgranted increased visitations to thegrand parents. The Washington Court ofAppeals and the Washington Supreme Court overturned this deci sion. The grandparents appealed to the U.S. Su preme Court seeking increased visitation with their granddaughters in accordance with the Washington statute. On June 5, 2000, The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Washington Supreme Court and held that the Washingtonstatute relevant to the grandparents' request for visitation violated the mother's due process right to make decisions concerning the care, custody, and control of her daughters.