M.A.S. v. Miss. Dep't of Human Servs. (In Re M.A.S.)

MAXWELL, JUSTICE, FOR THE COURT:

¶ 1. Prior to April 2016, a chancellor could, as part of a contested adoption, terminate the parents' rights, even when the termination issue was pending in youth court as part of a child-abuse proceeding. 1 But in April 2016, the adoption and termination-of-parental-rights statutes changed. Now, a chancellor cannot grant an adoption contested by the parents unless the parents' rights have been terminated under the Mississippi Termination of Parental Rights Law (MTPRL). 2 And under the MTPRL, the Legislature has carved out an important exception to the chancery…