Undeserving Heirs?--The Case of the "Terminated" Parent

Every state has an intestate succession statute that prescribes how the property of those who die without a will should be distributed. Every state also by statute authorizes the government to intervene in the parent-child relationship in the most draconian manner possible by involuntarily terminating parental rights. This article explores how the law functions at the intersection of these two statutory schemes-the inheritance regime, as expressed through intestate succession statutes, and the child welfare regime, as expressed through termination of parental rights statutes ("TPR statutes").