Grandparent visitation

A reader writes that 3 states have apparently defied the Supreme Court's ruling in the Troxel case, and gotten away with it:

WASHINGTON — Six years after the U.S. Supreme Court curbed grandparents' rights in child-visitation disputes, three recent rulings by state supreme courts suggest that those who go to court seeking more time with their grandchildren are gaining ground.

The recent rulings in Pennsylvania, Utah and Colorado in favor of grandparents who sought visitation despite the objections of a child's parent indicate that courts increasingly are sympathizing with grandparents — particularly in cases involving the death of a parent or another family tragedy.

The rulings represent the latest chapter in a contentious area of family law that is reverberating from the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in 2000. The ruling rejected Washington state's grandparent-visitation law, saying it was too broad because it allowed "any person" to petition for visitation at "any time."

That U.S. Supreme Court's ruling was a good one for parental rights.