The D.C. courthouse sees all walks of city life: the good, the bad and the children who don’t have a safe and stable home.
That might explain why 13 of the roughly 100 D.C. courts judges are adoptive parents.
“It’s one thing to sit in your robe and make crack legal decisions,” Judge Juliet McKenna said. But adopting a child who needs a family is one way to become more directly involved.
McKenna and her husband, lawyer Doug Kendall, originally wanted only to became foster parents when they accepted 15-month-old Miracle into their home.
“We were absolutely in love with her,” she said.
Miracle was one of 11 children. But after it become clear that Miracle would not be able to return to her biological family, McKenna and Kendall decided to adopt.
“It was automatic,” McKenna said.
On Saturday, the D.C. Superior Court and the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency will co-host its 20th Annual Adoption Day in Court, where more than 40 adoptions will be finalized. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), an adoptive parent and sponsor of the D.C. Family Court Act, will be the keynote speaker.
The ceremony at the Moultrie Courthouse, 500 Indiana Ave. NW, from 10 a.m. to noon, is designed to celebrate adoption and encourage residents to consider adopting or fostering a child. So far this year, 244 children have been adopted in D.C., but more than 300 remain in foster care, awaiting adoption. Residents interested in adoption can call 202-671-LOVE.
