Opinion ID: 2624926
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Government's interest and the cost of additional protections

Text: Finally, the burden on the district court to provide the non-consenting parent an opportunity to participate in the proceedings is minimal. The district court, in deciding whether to authorize the minor's marriage, must necessarily determine whether the minor's best interests are served by the proposed marriage. Including the non-consenting parent in appropriate cases will not create a significant additional administrative or judicial burden on the court. Notably, the non-consenting parent does not have veto power over the proceedings, but simply must be permitted the opportunity to participate in a meaningful way in the important decision of whether the minor should be granted permission to marry. In sum, the Mathews factors all point to the same result: under the circumstances presented here, Kirkpatrick was entitled to notice and a meaningful opportunity to be heard before the district court determined whether Sierra could marry. Kirkpatrick was denied such protections, however, and his due process rights were violated.