Department of Human Services v. A. S.-M.

In this consolidated appeal, mother and father appeal judgments terminating their parental rights to their six children. As to father, we affirm the juvenile court’s determination that father is unfit and that termination of his parental rights is in the best interests of the children. As to mother, however, we conclude that she was deprived of a fundamentally fair termination proceeding, in violation of her rights under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, because the juvenile court appointed a guardian ad litem (GAL) for mother without sufficient legal basis. We,…