U.S. says Marine could not adopt Afghan girl, records show officials assisted

Federal lawyers told a Virginia judge that the U.S. had already arranged to reunite the Afghan girl with relatives and that a Marine could not lawfully adopt her, while released court records show multiple U.S. employees assisted the Marine and his family; the Virginia Supreme Court has not yet issued a ruling.

A legal dispute in Virginia concerns whether a U.S. Marine lawfully adopted a girl found in Afghanistan after her parents were killed and why U.S. officials acted as they did. Federal lawyers told a judge the child had already been designated for reunification with relatives, while court records released after an AP records fight show military and State Department employees helped the Marine and his family. The adoption was granted by a county judge, later voided by another judge, and the appeals court upheld the voiding. The case reached the Virginia Supreme Court and remains unresolved. Key points: - The federal government told a Virginia judge the adoption was not the court's to decide and that U.S. officials had moved to reunite the child with relatives. - Released transcripts and documents show employees across U.S. agencies assisted the Marine and his family during evacuations and paperwork. - A Fluvanna County judge granted an emergency adoption in 2019; a different judge voided that adoption in March 2023 and the Virginia Court of Appeals upheld the voiding. - The Virginia Supreme Court heard the case in February 2025 and has not issued a decision; the child has remained with the Marine and his family. Summary: The records depict inconsistent actions by U.S. agencies and raise questions about how the matter was handled administratively and in court. The immediate legal status is that the Virginia Supreme Court has yet to issue a ruling, and federal officials have indicated they are reconsidering their role in the case.