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Court rules for parents on vistation issue

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An Arizona court ruling says a parent opposing visitation of a child by a nonparent such as a former boyfriend or girlfriend normally shouldn't have to justify his or her position.

The state Court of Appeals ruling issued Thursday guides judges on how to interpret a 2013 state law requiring that courts give "special weight" to a parent's decision to oppose visitation of a child by a nonparent.

The ruling says that means the nonparent must show why visitation is needed to serve the child's interests.

The ruling was issued in an appeal of a judge's ruling against a mother who opposed visitation by her former girlfriend.

The mother, her out-of-wedlock daughter and her former girlfriend lived together for five years. The mother ended visitation when she married another woman.