Georgia’s Grandparents Visitation Statute Changed to Clarify Rights – The Daily Report

In an article published November 23 in the Daily Report, attorney Margaret Simpson explains the recent changes to Georgia’s grandparents visitation statute which clarifies language the Georgia Supreme Court struck down in a child custody case known as Patten v. Ardis. Simpson says the previous statute’s wording allowed the courts to grant grandparents visitation rights if they proved the visitation was in the child’s best interest.

Simpson writes in the article, “In Patten, the court determined that the language was an unconstitutional infringement on the rights of parents. The new language, passed by the state Legislature earlier this year in Senate Bill 576 and effective July 1, allows courts to award grandparents visitation only if they can prove the child will be ‘harmed’ if visitation is not granted.”

Subscribers to the Daily Report can read the full article here.