Matter of Adoption of JLP

In this case, the father, while incarcerated in the penitentiary, asked for an opportunity to testify in court before a decision was made to terminate his parental rights, which was denied. In the myriad of prior summary judgment cases, we had previously not gone so far as to define relations between parent and child to be excluded from at least the opportunity of the parent to present live testimony to defend a constitutional interest as parent. See Payne v. Superior Court of Los Angeles County, 17 Cal.3d 908, 132 Cal.Rptr. 405, 553 P.2d *633565 (1976) and In Interest of F. H., 283 N.W.2d…