Professor Tanya Asim Cooper Presents "In re Ta.L: The History, Background, and Today's Practice" -- DC Children's Law Center

Professor Tanya Asim Cooper presented "In re Ta.L: The History, Background, and Today's Practice" to attorneys, investigators, social workers, and staff at the DC Children's Law Center. In re Ta.L., 149 A.3d 1060 (D.C. 2016), is a child abuse and neglect clinic case that Professor Cooper handled with her students at trial. Professor Cooper argued the appeal before an en banc District of Colombia Court of Appeals. The case held a trial court's grant of a [permanency-goal] change from reunification to adoption over the parents' objection, without an adjudicatory hearing to determine whether the District has fulfilled its duty to expend reasonable efforts to reunify the family, violates a parent's procedural due process rights.

Professor Cooper discussed the history and litigation, and participants shared their experiences with how District laws and procedures have accordingly changed.