Step Parent Visitation

The Mississippi Court of Appeals decided Neely v. Welch yesterday located here.  The issue in the case was whether a step parent had the right to visitation.  The Court of Appeals found that with the natural parent presumption still intact with the natural parent, the step parent had no rights.  The Court of Appeals seemed to be sympathetic to the step parent, but found no legal right for him to have visitation.  This is one area the legislature needs to look at.  There would have to be several items in the statute to survive a constitutional challenge though.