COURT NOTICES Circuit Court for Baltimore County Third Judicial Circuit
Chambers of Kathleen Gallogly Cox Circuit Administrative Judge & County Administrative Judge The following Judges will serve in the Family Division for six months effective July 1, 2016:
County Courts Building Towson, Maryland 21204 410-887-6510
The following Judges will serve in the Family Division for six months effective January 1, 2017:
Judge Kathleen Gallogly Cox Judge Susan Souder Judge Vicki Ballou-Watts Judge Judith C. Ensor Judge Paul J. Hanley Judge Colleen A. Cavanaugh
Judge Mickey J. Norman Judge H. Patrick Stringer, Jr. Judge John J. Nagle III Judge Jan Marshall Alexander Judge Justin J. King Judge Keith R. Truffer
NEW ADOPTION PROCEDURES The Circuit Court for Baltimore County has promulgated new procedures regarding adoption under Title 5, Subtitle 3B-Independent Adoption of the Family Law Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland and the Maryland Rules of Procedure, Title 9, Chapter 100. The new procedures clarify the independent adoption process, particularly regarding investigations conducted by the court pursuant to those adoptions.
adoption. The petition must be filed in order to obtain a temporary custody order before the adoptive parents take custody of the child in a nonrelative adoption. The biological parent will be contacted as part of the investigation to confirm his or her consent and to verify that the parent knowingly and willingly consented to the adoption, whether the parent wishes representation and if he or she was advised of the right to seek counsel. This will occur regardless of whether the time to object has passed. However, if the parent has been represented by an attorney and the attorney files an affidavit of representation under Maryland Rules of Procedure 9-103, then, no follow-up interview will be conducted. In cases where the investigator contacts a parent and believes that there is an irregularity in connection with the biological parent’s consent, the case will be forwarded to a judge, who, after reviewing the
Any adult may petition the court for an adoption. If the petitioner is married, the petitioner’s spouse must join in in the petition unless the spouse is separated from the petitioner or is not competent to join in the petition. If it is a step-parent adoption, the parent of the prospective adoptee must consent to the proposed adoption. If the martial status of the petitioner changes before entry of a final order, the petitioner must amend the petition accordingly. The petition should be filed prior to the expiration date of the biological parent’s consent to the
THE ADVOCATE
Continued on page 5
Page 4
February 2016