Grandparental
/ Third Party Visitation
One
of the casualties of a couple's divorce is often the estrangement of grandparents
and relatives from the couple's child or children. Under very limited circumstances,
Wisconsin enables grandparents or other qualified third parties to petition the
circuit court for visitation of a minor child. This area is, comparatively, in
its infancy and continues to evolve.
What
Do I Need to Know?
To date, the
Supreme Court of Wisconsin has not had the opportunity to consider the significant,
credible questions raised by practitioners and academics as to the constitutionality
of the related Wisconsin laws, in light of the United States Supreme Court's opinion
in the grandparental visitation case Troxel
v. Granville.