DC · rules
D.C. Super. Ct. Neg. R. 38
Adjudicatory Hearing on Motion for Termination of Parent and Child
Relationship
(a) Preliminary inquiries. The judicial officer shall begin the hearing by determining whether
service has been effected on all parties, whether all parties are present, and whether all
parties are represented by counsel, and shall have these facts recorded. If the judicial
officer finds that service has been effected but a party is not present, the judicial officer
may proceed with the hearing if counsel for the party is present.
(b) Evidence. The rules of evidence governing civil proceedings in the Superior Court shall
apply to hearings on motions to terminate the parent and child relationship.
(c) Proposed findings of fact. The judicial officer may require counsel to submit proposed
findings of fact and conclusions of law.
(d) Burden of proof. An order of termination shall be entered only upon a finding by clear
and convincing evidence that grounds exist for termination of the parent and child
relationship under D.C. Code § 16-2353 and that termination of the parent and child
relationship is in the best interest of the child.
Provenance
- Source
- dccourts.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-14
- Edition
- 2026-09-14
- Content hash
9701faaf76383c196bee733c905095395beedafad5ecbe91dc2381113261b951
The link goes to the issuing authority’s own document — the one we read to produce this record. Where a source publishes whole titles rather than sections, your browser may need a moment to jump to the provision.
Unofficial copy of government-published law, reproduced from official sources with full provenance. Not an official publication; verify against official sources before relying on it in a filing. Records in the 'guidance' corpus, and only that corpus, are sub-regulatory (interpretive guidelines, survey procedures) and are not binding law. Validity bounds follow each jurisdiction's declared temporalBasis.