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Family Separation Causes Real and Lasting Harm for Children and Parents

The ACLU is standing up for families torn apart by the government, especially those with the least resources to challenge in court.

A grieving mother had her children ripped away without warning in the wake of a family tragedy in Georgia in July 2024. After her son died by suicide, the state obtained an emergency order to immediately remove her surviving children — with no notice, no hearing, and no finding that the children were in any danger. In the same state, a juvenile court terminated another mother’s parental rights even though the caseworker and children’s advocate agreed that the children had a good relationship with their mother, and that the parent-child relationship would not harm the children but would continue to actively benefit them.

These court intrusions on Georgia’s families aren’t just harmful and traumatizing; they push the bounds of constitutionality.…