State ex rel. Juvenile Department v. Silence

In this appeal from an order terminating parental rights, mother challenges the trial court’s failure to appoint independent counsel to represent her five-year-old son at the termination hearing.1

Mother asserts that the juvenile court had jurisdiction under ORS 419.476(l)(e) and, therefore, should have appointed counsel for the child pursuant to ORS 419.498(2)(a). The relevant statutes provide, in part:

“(1) The juvenile court has exclusive original jurisdiction in any case involving a person who is under 18 years of age and:

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“(e) Either the person’s parents or any other person…