In re J.S. CA2/7

INTRODUCTION

Mother U.S. appeals from the juvenile court’s modification order removing her son J.S. (born 2009) from her physical custody and placing him with his foster parents. U.S.’s sole contention on appeal is that the court and the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (Department) failed to comply with the inquiry and notice provisions of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA) (25 U.S.C. § 1901 et seq.) and related California law (Cal-ICWA) (see Welf. & Inst. Code, §§ 224.2, 224.3, subd. (a)1)).1 While this appeal was pending, the juvenile court ordered the Department to conduct an additional ICWA inquiry. On this basis, the Department moved to dismiss the appeal as moot. We grant the motion to dismiss.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

A. The Dependency Proceedings In April 2019, the juvenile court sustained a petition by the Department alleging U.S. physically abused J.S. and his siblings.

Undesignated statutory references are to the Welfare and Institutions Code unless otherwise specified.

2 The court declared J.S. a dependent child of the juvenile court and removed him from U.S.’s custody, with family reunification services for…