Judges Pro Narrative

Mary Rhodes Russell, MO Supreme Court Chief Justice

Our weekly local newspaper, The Democrat-News (hilarious if you realize how red Missouri is) had an op-ed by our MO Supreme Court Chief Justice, Mary Rhodes Russell, that was a pro-adoption narrative given legal standing. Really not a surprise. Many judges LOVE the great PR value of an adoption finalization hearing.

I’ll spare you all the sweet retelling of the incident. To her credit, she explains the three ways that the adoption of a child takes place. [1] Private agreement (in my family, there were two kinds – one an attorney represented and one a religion represented). She mentions an organization pairing the adoptive parents with an available child. [2] Step-parent adoption (fairly obviously straight forward). She does indicate “after the other natural parent has abandoned the child or otherwise has legally given up parental rights.” My daughter did have a step-mother helping my ex-husband raise her. Though there were times when I was not reachable that could have been considered abandonment, the truth is I was frequently in touch most of her childhood and contributed funds when asked (though when I had custody, my ex refused to make child support payments).

Lastly, there is [3] is an aspect of the juvenile justice system in the state of Missouri. These are cases of the child having been abused, neglected or abandoned and considered “in need of a permanent home elsewhere.”

She shares how a judge goes about deciding a case. Recommendations by the Division of Family Services and the results of a home study by one of their personnel. The local juvenile office provides the judge with their report. The child has a guardian ad litem appointed (to act as their attorney). She brings up the foster care system, noting there are not enough foster parents to meet the demand for them. It is only when the child can not be reunified with their genetic, biological parent that an adoption can occur. She also mentions the CASA volunteers. CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates. She believes these volunteers bring about shorter foster care periods for the child they represent.