XXXIV Pt. II § 6 Rendition of opinions

Cases involving children get special priority in this court. This includes cases about children in need of care, termination of parental rights, surrenders, adoptions, and child custody disputes. The court has to move faster on these cases than on other types of cases.

Once one of these cases is argued before the court, the judges cannot sit on it indefinitely. They must release their written decision by the next regular date the court publishes opinions, following the argument session where the case was heard. This means families dealing with custody or parental rights issues get an answer within a predictable timeframe, instead of waiting an unknown amount of time for a ruling.

This rule exists because decisions about children's lives and living situations are time sensitive. A delayed ruling can leave a child in limbo about where they will live or who their legal parents are. By requiring quick action, the rule tries to reduce the amount of uncertainty and stress these cases put on children and families.