In her last month on the bench, retired Hamilton County Circuit Court Judge L. Marie Williams presided over only adoption finalizations. As a judge, the cases you’re dealing with — a car wreck, a contract dispute, a family dispute — don’t always allow you to see people at their best, Williams says, but when it comes to adoption finalizations, those are “absolutely the happiest thing” judges do on the bench.
“You are there to resolve issues between people in the way that is in compliance with the law and is fair,” Williams says. “That is a privilege to do. It’s a wonderful privilege to be able to hold that seat, but there are some stresses to it. And when you get to an adoption, where all of the difficulties have been resolved, it is just absolutely joyous.”
By the time adoptions came before Williams, she had looked over the cases to ensure that all problems had been worked out and that they could proceed smoothly. In these cases, everyone goes into the courtroom feeling happy and excited, Williams says.
“It’s a privilege to see the joy that these families are experiencing and to have them leave the courtroom as a fully complete family going forward with their lives, knowing this child is in good hands,” she says.