Opinion ID: 1780026
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Whether the chancellor erred in denying the Fosters' petition to adopt Elizabeth.

Text: ¶ 14. The Fosters claim the chancellor erred in denying their petition to adopt Elizabeth and to terminate Harris' parental rights. Under this Court's well-established standard of review concerning the termination of parental rights, [t]he chancellor's findings of fact are viewed under the manifest error/substantial credible evidence test. Vance v. Lincoln County Dep't of Pub. Welfare, 582 So.2d 414, 417 (Miss.1991) (citing Bryant v. Cameron, 473 So.2d 174, 179 (Miss. 1985); Veselits v. Cruthirds, 548 So.2d 1312, 1316 (Miss.1989)). Accordingly, this Court does not ask how it would have decided the case ab initio; rather, we examine whether credible proof exists to support the chancellor's findings of fact by clear and convincing evidence. S.N.C. v. J.R.D., 755 So.2d 1077, 1080 (Miss.2000). It is not this Court's role to substitute its judgment for the chancellor's. Hensarling v. Hensarling, 824 So.2d 583, 587 (Miss. 2002).