Elizabeth Sebesta v. Andrea Davis

WOOD, Chief Judge.

A parent has a fundamental right, protected by the Constitution, to “direct the upbringing” of her child. See Pierce v. Society of Sisters, 268 U.S. 510, 534-35, 45 S.Ct. 571, 69 L.Ed. 1070 (1925); Meyer v. Nebraska, 262 U.S. 390, 399, 43 S.Ct. 625, 67 L.Ed. 1042 (1923). But like many constitutional rights, this one does not exist in a vacuum. The state has a strong interest in its most vulnerable citizens, including its children. In order to protect their welfare, states have agencies devoted to the task of child and family protection. Those agencies are staffed by people…