PORTLAND (AP) – Maine’s highest court has overturned a lower court decision, opening the door for a lesbian couple to adopt two siblings who were their foster children.
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court unanimously ruled Thursday that state law does not preclude Ann Courtney and Marilyn Kirby of Portland from adopting the children, a 10-year-old girl and her 6-year-old brother.
Courtney and Kirby became the children’s foster parents in 2001; last year they filed petitions with the Cumberland County Probate Court to adopt.
Their petition was rejected, but the Maine Supreme Judicial Court concluded state law does not prohibit two unmarried people from together adopting a child and that probate court has jurisdiction over the matter.
AP-ES-08-30-07 1351EDT
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