The 3-minute interview: William Jackson
By: Scott McCabe
Examiner Staff Writer
November 20, 2009
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| William Jackson is the presiding judge of the family court of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. |
Jackson is the presiding judge of the family court of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was appointed to the bench as an associate judge in June of 1992 by President George H.W. Bush.
Where are you from? How did you get to D.C.?
From Maryland; by train. Seriously, I came to Washington following my graduation from law school. My first job was as a law clerk for the then-chief judge of the D.C. Court of Appeals.
How many children in D.C. are in foster care?
There are over 2,000 children in foster care; nearly 200 have established goals of adoption and the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency is seeking adoptive parents for them.
Do you know anybody who has adopted a child?
I know many people who have adopted children. In fact, a dozen or so of my colleagues on the court are adoptive parents.
What do they say about it? What do the kids say about it?
The beautiful aspect of adoption is that the children and the adoptive parents are like any other family. They love each other and are there for each other, something every child deserves to be part of.
What's happening this Saturday?
On Saturday morning, Nov. 21, from 10 a.m. to noon, some 36 children will have their adoptions finalized at the Moultrie Courthouse [500 Indiana Ave. NW]. We will also celebrate their adoptions and the new families and we will acknowledge the more than 175 children who were adopted earlier this year, 113 of whom had been in foster care. It will be a wonderful program, with entertainment for the kids. The public is most cordially invited. If anyone cannot attend but is interested in adopting, I encourage them to call the CFSA adoption hotline at 202-671-LOVE.
- Scott McCabe
