R.S. v. State

I respectfully dissent and would affirm the court of appeals. The primary issue in this case is the interpretation of one sentence of a statute, Minn.Stat. § 626.556, subd. 10(c) (1988). This court’s interpretation of statutes is guided by well established principles that require fidelity to legislative intent. Long-standing rules of statutory construction and the legislative history of Minn.Stat. § 626.556, subd. 10(c) make clear that the interview without parental consent provision was enacted to eradicate one problem: to grant welfare agencies the authority to interview allegedly abused…