POSC 4210 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Iowa Supreme Court
Document Summary
Facts of the case: 1966, mr. painter was married to a woman and had two children with her. When the wife and one child were killed in a car accident, he asked the wife"s parents to take care of the other child, mark, until the father could get back on his feet. Mark lived with his grandparents for one year, after which the grandparents felt that their lifestyle was more stable for him than living with his father would be. The father sued for custody, arguing that there had to be clear evidence for the court to have to award custody to the grandparents, and he won. The grandparents appealed, and the iowa supreme court awarded custody to the grandparents. They said that the father was a bohemian dreamer and although both homes would be fit to raise the child, the grandparents" home was more stable and traditional.