Courts to recognize the fundamental right to the parent-child relationship in child custody and parenting time determinations requirement

This bill requires Minnesota courts to recognize the fundamental right to the parent-child relationship when making child custody and parenting time decisions. It mandates that judges uphold prior court rulings from SooHoo v. Johnson and Troxel v. Granville, which establish that courts must protect this right unless there is clear and convincing evidence of harm to the child. The legislation ensures that both fit parents retain equal rights to custody and care regardless of their marital status, and it requires courts to apply strict legal scrutiny before limiting these parental rights.