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Anaheim Adoption Law Blog

Adoption on tap for country music star and husband

There are many children in California who are waiting to be adopted. As one of the largest states in the country, California has many kids who are in foster care and other child welfare programs and need adoption. Foster families open their homes to kids for a variety of reasons but typically because the biological parents are unable to take care of the children.

Well-known country-music singer Kelly Pickler, who married Kyle Jacobs last year, recently told reporters that she and her husband are considering adopting a child. Jacobs, whose parents have fostered more than 50 kids over the years, is also supportive of the decision, Pickler said. The music star is still investigating the possibilities and did not detail when she and her husband plan to pursue the adoption.

Divorced stepparent seeks visitation

When a couple gets married, they of course believe that it will last forever. When one spouse has children from a previous relationship, often the new stepparent takes on some sort of parenting role. If the children's other biological parent is no longer in the picture, the married couple may decide to have the stepparent legally adopt the children. When the stepparent adoption decision is made, the adopting parent is required to file an adoption petition.

However, if the marriage ends before the stepparent files the adoption petition, it can be difficult for the now former stepparent to obtain visitation rights to the children he or she has come to love. In a case that may interest California readers, a former prosecutor is challenging the rules that say that he has no parenting rights due to his divorce from his stepchild's mother.

Media coverage approved for juvenile proceedings in L.A.

Juvenile proceedings, including those for foster placement and adoption have long been closed to media coverage in California. Judges have chosen not to allow television and other reporters in the courtroom out of concern for the privacy of the juveniles in proceedings. However, after the order of the presiding judge for the Los Angeles County Juvenile Court, those rules are set to be changed.

On Jan. 31, a judge with the Los Angeles County Juvenile Court directed that the media will be allowed to cover juvenile proceedings, including adoptions, in the county juvenile dependency court. The ruling will allow media coverage of the dependency matter unless a party to the case makes a compelling argument as to why the proceeding should remain private. Previously, the only way for a news organization to be allowed to cover a juvenile dependency matter would be for them to first obtain permission from the court, and it was uncommon for a media organization to be allowed to film in the courtroom.

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