In Re Stee

2008 WL 2132014 (Tx. Court of Appeals 2008)

Facts

A large number of children were removed from their homes on an emergency basis from the Yearning For Zion ranch outside of Eldorado, Texas. The ranch is associated with the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), and a number of families live there. The relators are thirty-eight women who were living at the ranch and had children taken into custody on an emergency basis by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services based on allegations by the Department that there was immediate danger to the physical health or safety of the children. The mothers seek a writ of mandamus requiring the district court to vacate its temporary orders.