Involuntary Termination of the Parent-Child Relationship of S.B. v. Marion County Department of Child Services

We granted transfer in this case and In the Matter of Involuntary Termination of the Parent-Child Relationship of I.P., 5 N.E.3d 750 (Ind.2014), to address due process safeguards where a magistrate presiding over a termination of parental rights hearing resigns before reporting recommended findings and conclusions to the judge. In accord with our decision today in In re I.P., we find the procedure used in this ease violated the parent’s due process rights.

The Marion County Department of Child Services (“MCDCS”) petitioned to involuntarily terminate the parental rights of K.G. (“Mother”) to…