Supreme Court Grants Stay in Lesbian Adoption Case

The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked an Alabama Supreme Court decision that ruled a lesbian woman’s adoption of three children with her partner was invalid.

The Alabama court previously ruled not to recognize the adoption, which has prevented the woman from enjoying visitation rights with three children, ages 13, 11, and 11, she adopted and raised with her former partner. The woman, identified as V.L., adopted the children in Georgia in 2007, but was kept from seeing her children after breaking up with her partner. The two were not married. Her former partner, identified as E.L, has argued the adoption is not valid in Alabama. The Alabama Supreme Court found the adoption was “void” in their state.

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court granted the woman the emergency stay of that ruling, though SCOTUSBlog reports the justices did not mention visitation in the ruling. The Supreme Court on Monday said the stay would be terminated if the court decides not to take up the case. The stay will remain in effect until a ruling if the justices do take the case.

“I’m overjoyed that my children and I will be able to be together again,” said the woman, identified as V.L., in a statement. “It’s been so long—more time that I ever thought I could bear—since we have been able to be together and just do the everyday things that parents do with their children, like having dinner together and helping them with their homework.”