In re Adoption of Yasmin S. , 308 Neb. 771 ( 2021 )


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  • Nebraska Supreme Court Online Library
    www.nebraska.gov/apps-courts-epub/
    05/04/2021 08:12 AM CDT
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    Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets
    308 Nebraska Reports
    IN RE ADOPTION OF YASMIN S.
    Cite as 
    308 Neb. 771
    In re Adoption of Yasmin S.,
    a minor child.
    Kelly H. and Maria V., appellants,
    v. State of Nebraska, appellee.
    ___ N.W.2d ___
    Filed March 26, 2021.    No. S-20-543.
    1. Jurisdiction: Judgments: Appeal and Error. Determination of a juris-
    dictional issue which does not involve a factual dispute is a matter of
    law which requires an appellate court to reach its conclusions indepen-
    dent from those of a trial court.
    2. Statutes: Appeal and Error. Statutory interpretation is a question of
    law, which an appellate court resolves independently of the trial court.
    3. ____: ____. Statutory language is to be given its plain and ordinary
    meaning, and an appellate court will not resort to interpretation to
    ascertain the meaning of statutory words which are plain, direct, and
    unambiguous.
    4. Statutes: Legislature: Intent. In construing a statute, a court must
    determine and give effect to the purpose and intent of the Legislature
    as ascertained from the entire language of the statute considered in its
    plain, ordinary, and popular sense.
    5. Statutes. It is not within the province of the courts to read a meaning
    into a statute that is not there or to read anything direct and plain out of
    a statute.
    6. Constitutional Law: Statutes. Where a statute is susceptible of two
    constructions, one of which renders it constitutional, and the other
    unconstitutional, it is the duty of the court to adopt the construction
    which, without doing violence to the fair meaning of the statute, would
    render it valid.
    7. Appeal and Error. An appellate court is not obligated to engage in an
    analysis that is not necessary to adjudicate the case and controversy
    before it.
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    Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets
    308 Nebraska Reports
    IN RE ADOPTION OF YASMIN S.
    Cite as 
    308 Neb. 771
    Appeal from the County Court for Dixon County: Douglas
    L. Luebe, Judge. Reversed and remanded for further
    proceedings.
    Matthew M. Munderloh, of Johnson & Mock, P.C., L.L.O.,
    and Adam J. Sipple and Sara E. Rips, of ACLU of Nebraska,
    for appellants.
    No appearance for appellee.
    Heavican, C.J., Miller-Lerman, Cassel, Stacy, Funke,
    Papik, and Freudenberg, JJ.
    Cassel, J.
    INTRODUCTION
    A same-sex married couple sought to adopt a minor child.
    The county court determined that it lacked authority to permit
    adoption by a “wife and wife” and denied the request. But the
    plain language of the applicable statute, 1 which references “any
    adult person or persons” and the person’s “husband or wife,”
    allows for such an adoption. We reverse, and remand for fur-
    ther proceedings.
    BACKGROUND
    In 2008, Kelly H. and Maria V. married in California. They
    subsequently moved to Nebraska.
    In 2017, Yasmin S. was born out of wedlock. Her biological
    mother—Maria’s sister—signed a relinquishment and consent
    to adoption. The putative father had abandoned Yasmin and
    failed to file a notice of objection to adoption and intent to
    obtain custody. Since Yasmin’s birth, she has lived in Kelly and
    Maria’s home.
    In May 2020, Kelly and Maria filed a petition to adopt
    Yasmin. At a hearing, the county court raised a concern that
    1
    
    Neb. Rev. Stat. § 43-101
    (1) (Reissue 2016).
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    Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets
    308 Nebraska Reports
    IN RE ADOPTION OF YASMIN S.
    Cite as 
    308 Neb. 771
    the petition referenced “wife and wife.” The court subse-
    quently denied the request “due to the court’s lack of authority
    to proceed.” The court observed that “wife” was not defined in
    statute and that a law dictionary defined the term as “‘a woman
    who has a lawful living husband.’”
    Kelly and Maria timely appealed. They filed a petition to
    bypass review by the Nebraska Court of Appeals, asserting
    in part that the case “is one arguably ‘involving the federal
    or state constitutionality of a statute.’” Pursuant to Neb. Ct.
    R. App. P. § 2-109(E) (rev. 2014), Kelly and Maria served a
    copy of their brief and their petition to bypass on the Nebraska
    Attorney General. The Attorney General declined to file a brief
    in this appeal. We subsequently granted the petition to bypass.
    ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR
    Kelly and Maria assign that the county court erred in deter-
    mining that it lacked jurisdiction to permit a same-sex married
    couple to adopt a child and in interpreting § 43-101 in a way
    that violated due process and equal protection rights.
    STANDARD OF REVIEW
    [1] Determination of a jurisdictional issue which does not
    involve a factual dispute is a matter of law which requires an
    appellate court to reach its conclusions independent from those
    of a trial court. 2
    [2] Statutory interpretation is a question of law, which an
    appellate court resolves independently of the trial court. 3
    ANALYSIS
    Adoption proceedings are statutory and were unknown to
    the common law. 4 Generally, statutes in derogation of the
    2
    Egan v. County of Lancaster, ante p. 48, 
    952 N.W.2d 664
     (2020).
    3
    
    Id.
    4
    See In re Adoption of Luke, 
    263 Neb. 365
    , 
    640 N.W.2d 374
     (2002).
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    IN RE ADOPTION OF YASMIN S.
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    c­ ommon law are to be strictly construed. 5 Before setting forth
    the statute at the heart of this case, we recall principles of
    statutory interpretation.
    [3-5] Rules regarding statutory interpretation are well
    known. Statutory language is to be given its plain and ordinary
    meaning, and an appellate court will not resort to interpreta-
    tion to ascertain the meaning of statutory words which are
    plain, direct, and unambiguous. 6 In construing a statute, a court
    must determine and give effect to the purpose and intent of
    the Legislature as ascertained from the entire language of the
    statute considered in its plain, ordinary, and popular sense. 7 It
    is not within the province of the courts to read a meaning into
    a statute that is not there or to read anything direct and plain
    out of a statute. 8
    The focus of this appeal, § 43-101, addresses children eli-
    gible for adoption. As pertinent here, the statute provides that
    any minor child may be adopted by any adult person or
    persons and any adult child may be adopted by the spouse
    of such child’s parent in the cases and subject to sections
    43-101 to 43-115, except that no person having a husband
    or wife may adopt a minor child unless the husband or
    wife joins in the petition therefor. If the husband or wife
    so joins in the petition therefor, the adoption shall be by
    them jointly, except that an adult husband or wife may
    adopt a child of the other spouse whether born in or out
    of wedlock. 9
    Kelly and Maria argue that the statute’s plain language
    allows a same-sex married couple to adopt a minor child.
    5
    Heiden v. Norris, 
    300 Neb. 171
    , 
    912 N.W.2d 758
     (2018).
    6
    State ex rel. BH Media Group v. Frakes, 
    305 Neb. 780
    , 
    943 N.W.2d 231
    (2020).
    7
    
    Id.
    8
    
    Id.
    9
    § 43-101(1) (emphasis supplied).
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    Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets
    308 Nebraska Reports
    IN RE ADOPTION OF YASMIN S.
    Cite as 
    308 Neb. 771
    We agree. In the language of the statute, Yasmin is “any
    minor child,” while Kelly and Maria are “any adult person or
    persons.” 10 A wife is commonly understood to be “[a] mar-
    ried woman.” 11 Based on the understanding of that word in
    ­current usage, Kelly is a “person having a . . . wife.” 12 So, too,
    is Maria. Under § 43-101(1), “no person having a husband or
    wife may adopt a minor child unless the husband or wife joins
    in the petition therefor.” Here, the wife joined in the petition
    for adoption. The plain language of § 43-101(1) allows a same-
    sex married couple to adopt.
    The county court reasoned that definitions of “husband”
    and “wife” from when § 43-101 was “last enacted/amended
    by Nebraska’s Legislature” should control. It relied upon a
    proposition from a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision: “‘[I]t’s
    a “fundamental canon of statutory construction” that words
    generally should be “interpreted as taking their ordinary . . .
    meaning . . . at the time Congress enacted the statute.”’” 13 We
    assume without deciding that this proposition applies to the
    interpretation of a statute enacted by our Legislature. To dem-
    onstrate the meaning of the pertinent terms at the time of
    enactment, the county court cited a version of Black’s Law
    Dictionary which defined “wife” as “[a] married woman; a
    woman who has a lawful husband living” 14 and “husband” as
    “[a] married man; a man who has a lawful wife living.” 15
    But using the definitions articulated by the county court
    does not lead to a different result. Section 43-101(1) permits
    10
    See id.
    11
    “Wife,” Oxford English Dictionary Online, http://www.oed.com/view/
    Entry/228941 (last visited Mar. 20, 2021).
    12
    See § 43-101(1).
    13
    New Prime Inc. v. Oliveira, ___ U.S. ___, 
    139 S. Ct. 532
    , 539, 
    202 L. Ed. 2d 536
     (2019).
    14
    Black’s Law Dictionary 1628 (8th ed. 2004).
    15
    Id. at 758.
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    308 Nebraska Reports
    IN RE ADOPTION OF YASMIN S.
    Cite as 
    308 Neb. 771
    a minor child to “be adopted by any adult person or persons.”
    Kelly and Maria fit that criteria. The statute does not use the
    word “married.” The only caveat contained in the statute is
    that if the person had “a husband or wife,” the husband or wife
    had to join in the petition. 16 Under the county court’s defini-
    tion of “wife,” neither Kelly nor Maria had a “lawful husband
    living.” And under the court’s definition of “husband,” neither
    was a “man.” In other words, when one applies the defini-
    tions of “wife” and “husband” employed by the county court,
    the statutory caveat simply does not apply. If the Legislature
    believes that the statutory language is somehow disrespectful
    to same-sex married couples, that body is free to amend the
    statute. 17 But whether one uses the current meanings of “hus-
    band” and “wife” or their respective meanings at the time of
    enactment, the statutory text permits Kelly and Maria to adopt
    a minor child.
    [6] To the extent any doubt remains about whether a “wife
    and wife” may adopt, we apply a long-recognized principle
    of statutory construction. Where a statute is susceptible of
    two constructions, one of which renders it constitutional,
    and the other unconstitutional, it is the duty of the court to
    adopt the construction which, without doing violence to the
    fair meaning of the statute, would render it valid. 18 Reading
    § 43-101 to permit adoption by a same-sex couple does not
    raise constitutional issues that may be elicited by a contrary
    interpretation. 19
    16
    § 43-101(1).
    17
    See In re Petition of Anonymous 5, 
    286 Neb. 640
    , 
    838 N.W.2d 226
     (2013)
    (not province of court to rewrite statute).
    18
    Transport Workers of America v. Transit Auth. of City of Omaha, 
    205 Neb. 26
    , 
    286 N.W.2d 102
     (1979) (superseded by statute as stated in South Sioux
    City Ed. Assn. v. Dakota Cty. Sch. Dist., 
    278 Neb. 572
    , 
    772 N.W.2d 564
    (2009)).
    19
    See Obergefell v. Hodges, 
    576 U.S. 644
    , 
    135 S. Ct. 2584
    , 
    192 L. Ed. 2d 609
     (2015).
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    Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets
    308 Nebraska Reports
    IN RE ADOPTION OF YASMIN S.
    Cite as 
    308 Neb. 771
    [7] Because we can resolve this appeal on statutory interpre-
    tation grounds, we need not address Kelly and Maria’s other
    argument. An appellate court is not obligated to engage in an
    analysis that is not necessary to adjudicate the case and contro-
    versy before it. 20
    CONCLUSION
    The plain language of § 43-101 permits a same-sex married
    couple to adopt a minor child. Accordingly, we reverse, and
    remand to the county court for further proceedings.
    Reversed and remanded for
    further proceedings.
    20
    Seldin v. Estate of Silverman, 
    305 Neb. 185
    , 
    939 N.W.2d 768
     (2020).