Maine Supreme Court Decides ICWA Case

Here is the opinion in In re Trever I. An excerpt:

The father of Trever I. appeals from a judgment of the District Court (Lewiston, Beliveau, J.) terminating his parental rights. The father argues that the court (1) erred when it terminated his parental rights following the Department of Health and Human Services’s (Department) alleged failure to sufficiently investigate the father’s claim of Indian heritage and the applicability of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA), 25 U.S . C.S. §§ 1901-1963 (2004), and (2) abused its discretion when it denied his motion to continue the termination hearing. We affirm the judgment.