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

KITCHENS, PRESIDING JUSTICE, DISSENTING:

¶ 32. Because Mississippi Code Section 93-15-105(1) unconstitutionally diminishes the jurisdiction of the chancery court to hear and determine petitions for adoption, I respectfully dissent. It is elementary that a contested adoption cannot take place unless parental rights have been terminated. Section 93-15-105(1) purports to prevent chancery courts from terminating parental rights with respect to any child under the jurisdiction of a youth court in an abuse or neglect proceeding. Miss. Code Ann. § 93-15-105 (1) (Supp. 2017). But if a chancery court…