No. 12-399
Title:
Adoptive Couple, Petitioners
v.
Baby Girl, a Minor Child Under the Age of Fourteen Years, et al.
Docketed:October 1, 2012
Linked with 13A7
Lower Ct:Supreme Court of South Carolina
  Case Nos.:(27148)
  Decision Date:July 26, 2012
  Rehearing Denied:August 22, 2012
Questions Presented

~~~Date~~~ ~~~~~~~Proceedings  and  Orders~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oct 1 2012 Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due October 31, 2012)
Oct 1 2012 Motion for leave to file Appendix B under seal filed by petitioners.
Oct 22 2012 Brief of respondent Guardian ad Litem, as representative of respondent Baby Girl filed.
Oct 26 2012 Order extending time to file response to petition to and including November 30, 2012.
Oct 31 2012 Brief amicus curiae of American Academy of Adoption Attorneys filed.
Oct 31 2012 Brief amicus curiae of Birth Mother filed.
Oct 31 2012 Brief amicus curiae of National Council for Adoption filed.
Oct 31 2012 Motion for leave to file amici brief filed by Professors Joan Heifetz Hollinger, et al.
Oct 31 2012 Brief amici curiae of California State Association of Counties, et al. filed.
Nov 30 2012 Brief of respondents Birth Father and Cherokee Nation in opposition filed.
Dec 11 2012 Reply of petitioners Adoptive Couple filed.
Dec 12 2012 DISTRIBUTED for Conference of January 4, 2013.
Jan 4 2013 Motion for leave to file Appendix B under seal GRANTED.
Jan 4 2013 Motion for leave to file amici brief filed by Professors Joan Heifetz Hollinger, et al. GRANTED.
Jan 4 2013 Petition GRANTED.
Feb 11 2013 SET FOR ARGUMENT ON Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Feb 11 2013 Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs, in support of either party or of neither party, received from counsel for the petitioners
Feb 11 2013 Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs, in support of either party or of neither party, received from counsel for respondent Guardian Ad Litem of Baby Girl
Feb 19 2013 Brief of petitioner Adoptive Couple filed.
Feb 19 2013 Motion for leave to file Joint Appendix under seal filed by petitioner Adoptive Couple.
Feb 19 2013 Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs, in support of either party or of neither party, received from counsel for respondents Birth Father and Cherokee Nation.
Feb 19 2013 Brief of respondent Guardian ad Litem, as representative of respondent Baby Girl, supporting reversal filed.
Feb 26 2013 Brief amici curiae of Professors Joan Heifetz Hollinger, et al. filed.
Feb 26 2013 Brief amicus curiae of American Academy of Adoption Attorneys filed.
Feb 26 2013 Brief amicus curiae of Birth Mother filed.
Feb 26 2013 Brief amicus curiae of Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare filed.
Feb 26 2013 Brief amicus curiae of National Council for Adoption filed.
Feb 26 2013 Brief amici curiae of Child Advocacy Organizations filed.
Feb 26 2013 Brief amici curiae of Bonnie and Shannon Hofer, et al. filed.
Feb 26 2013 CIRCULATED.
Feb 26 2013 Brief amicus curiae of Adoptive Parents Committee, Inc. filed. (Distributed)
Feb 26 2013 Brief amicus curiae of Citizens Equal Rights Foundation filed. (Distributed)
Feb 27 2013 Motion DISTRIBUTED for Conference of March 15, 2013.
Mar 15 2013 The motion of petitioners for leave to file the joint appendix under seal is denied without prejudice to filing a renewed motion together with either a redacted joint appendix, or an explanation as to why the joint appendix may not be redacted, within 14 days.
Mar 15 2013 Brief amicus curiae of the United States filed. (Distributed)
Mar 18 2013 Motion for divided argument filed by petitioners Adoptive Couple and respondent Guardian ad Litem as Representative of Respondent baby Girl.
Mar 19 2013 Record from Supreme Court of South Carolina is electronic.
Mar 21 2013 Motion of Birth Mother for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae and for divided argument filed.
Mar 21 2013 Motion of the Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae and for divided argument filed.
Mar 21 2013 Renewed motion of petitioners for leave to file the joint appendix under seal with redacted copies for the public record.
Mar 21 2013 Brief of respondent Birth Father filed. (Distributed)
Mar 21 2013 Motion for divided argument filed by respondent Cherokee Nation.
Mar 21 2013 Brief of respondent Cherokee Nation filed. (Distributed)
Mar 22 2013 Brief amici curiae of Professors of Indian Law filed. (Distributed)
Mar 26 2013 Brief amicus curiae of Hamline University School of Law Child Advocacy Clinic filed. (Distributed)
Mar 26 2013 Brief amicus curiae of Honorable Abby Abinanti, Chief Justice of the Yurok Tribal Court filed.
Mar 26 2013 Brief amicus curiae of Navajo Nation filed. (Distributed)
Mar 27 2013 Brief amici curiae of Seminole Tribe of Florida, et al. filed. (Distributed)
Mar 27 2013 Brief amici curiae of Lower Sioux Indian Community, et al. filed. (Distributed)
Mar 27 2013 Brief amicus curiae of National Latina/o Psychological Association, et al. filed. (Distributed)
Mar 28 2013 Brief amici curiae of Friends Committee on National Legislation, et al. filed. (Distributed)
Mar 28 2013 Brief amicus curiae of Current and Former Members of Congress filed.
Mar 28 2013 Brief amici curiae of Casey Family Programs, et al. filed. (Distributed)
Mar 28 2013 Brief amici curiae of Association of American Indian Affairs, et al. filed. (Distributed)
Mar 28 2013 Brief amicus curiae of The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma filed. (Distributed)
Mar 28 2013 Brief amici curiae of Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, et al. filed. (Distributed)
Mar 28 2013 Brief amici curiae of Family Law professors filed. (Distributed)
Mar 28 2013 Brief amici curiae of Tanana Chiefs Conference, et al. filed. (Distributed)
Mar 28 2013 Brief amici curiae of Arizona, et al. filed. (Distributed)
Mar 28 2013 Brief amicus curiae of Oklahoma Indian Child Welfare Association filed. (Distributed)
Mar 28 2013 Brief amici curiae of Minnesota Department of Human Services and Minnesota Ombudsperson for American Indian Families filed. (Distributed)
Mar 28 2013 Brief amici curiae of Wisconsin Tribes filed. (Distributed)
Mar 28 2013 Brief amici curiae of 63 California Indian Tribes filed. (Distributed)
Mar 28 2013 Brief amicus curiae of National Native American Bar Association filed. (Distributed)
Mar 28 2013 Brief amici curiae of Adult Pre-ICWA Indian Adoptees filed. (Distributed)
Mar 28 2013 Brief amici curiae of American Civil Liberties Union, and ACLU of South Carolina filed. (Distributed)
Apr 1 2013 Renewed motion of petitioners for leave to file the joint appendix under seal with redacted copies for the public record GRANTED.
Apr 1 2013 Upon consideration of the motions for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae and the motions for divided argument, the time is to be divided as follows: 20 minutes for petitioners, 10 minutes for respondent Guardian ad Litem, 20 minutes for respondent Birth Father, and 10 minutes for the Solicitor General.
Apr 9 2013 Reply of petitioner Adoptive Couple filed. (Distributed)
Apr 9 2013 Reply of respondent Guardian ad Litem, as representative of respondent Baby Girl, supporting reversal filed. (Distributed)
Apr 16 2013 Argued. For petitioner: Lisa S. Blatt, Washington, D. C. For respondent Guardian ad Litem in support of petitioner: Paul D. Clement, Washington, D. C. For respondents Birth Father, et al.: Charles A. Rothfeld, Washington, D. C., and Edwin S. Kneedler, Deputy Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C. (for United States, as amicus curiae.)
Jun 25 2013 Judgment REVERSED and case REMANDED. Alito, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Roberts, C. J., and Kennedy, Thomas, and Breyer, JJ., joined. Thomas, J., and Breyer, J., filed concurring opinions. Scalia, J., filed a dissenting opinion. Sotomayor, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which Ginsburg and Kagan, JJ., joined, and in which Scalia, J., joined in part.
Jun 26 2013 Application (13A7) for issuance of the mandate forthwith, submitted to Justice Alito.
Jun 27 2013 Response to application from respondents Birth Father and Cherokee Nation filed.
Jun 28 2013 UPON CONSIDERATION of the application of counsel for the applicants and the response filed thereto, IT IS ORDERED that the mandate shall issue to the Supreme Court of South Carolina seven days after the entry of this order.
Jul 5 2013 MANDATE ISSUED.



~~Name~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~    ~~~~~~~Address~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   ~~Phone~~~
Attorneys for Petitioners:
Lisa S. Blatt Arnold & Porter LLP(202) 942-5000
    Counsel of Record555 12th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC  20004
Lisa.Blatt@aporter.com
Party name: Adoptive Couple
Attorneys for Respondents:
Paul D. Clement Bancroft PLLC(202) 234-0090
    Counsel of Record1919 M Street, N.W., Suite 470
Washington, DC  20036
pclement@bancroftpllc.com
Party name: Guardian ad Litem, as representative of respondent Baby Girl, supporting reversal
 
Chrissi Ross Nimmo Assistant Attorney General(918)-458-6998
    Counsel of Record P.O. Box 948
Tahlequah, OK  74465-0948
chrissi-nimmo@cherokee.org
Party name: Cherokee Nation
 
Charles A. Rothfeld Mayer Brown LLP(202) 263-3000
    Counsel of Record1999 K Street, N.W.
Washington, DC  20006-1101
crothfeld@mayerbrown.com
Party name: Birth Father
Other:
Abby Abinanti P.O. Box 1027(707)-482-1350
190 Klamath Blvd.
Klamath, CA  95548
aabinanti@gmail.com
Party name: Honorable Abby Abinanti, Chief Justice of the Yurok Tribal Court
 
Dorothy Ann Alther California Indian Legal Services(760)-746-8941
609 S. Escondido Blvd.
Escondido, CA  92025
dalther@calindian.org
Party name: 63 California Indian Tribes
 
Philip Baker-Shenk Holland & Knight LLP(202) 955-3000
2099 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC  20006
philip.baker-shenk@hklaw.com
Party name: Friends Committee on National Legislation, et al.
 
Stuart Banner UCLA School of Law(310) 206-8506
Supreme Court Clinic
405 Hilgard Avenue
Los Angeles, CA  90095
banner@law.ucla.edu
Party name: Professors of Indian Law
 
Eugene Kenneth Bertman McCormick & Bryan(405) 225-2300
2529 S. Kelly Ave., Suite A
Edmond, OK  73072
Party name: The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma
 
James J Devine Jr. 128 Main Street(315) 363-6600
Oneida, NY  13421
JDevine@centralny.twcbc
Party name: Citizens Equal Rights Foundation
 
Jennifer Yatskis Dukart 431 South Seventh Street Suite 2500(612)-343-3286
Minneapolis, MN  55415
jdukart@blackwellburke.com
Party name: Lower Sioux Indian Community, et al.
 
Edward C. DuMont Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP(202) 663-6000
1875 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC  20006
edward.dumont@wilmerhale.com
Party name: Adult Pre-ICWA Indian Adoptees
 
Vernle C. Durocher Jr. Dorsey & Whitney LLP(612) 340-2600
50 South Sixth Street, Suite 1500
Minneapolis, MN  55402
durocher.skip@dorsey.com
Party name: Family Law professors
 
Patricia Ferguson-Bohnee Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law(480) 727-0420
P.O. Box 877906
Tempe, AZ  85287
pafergus@asu.edu
Party name: National Native American Bar Association
 
Lilly C. Frawley Deputy County Counsel(916) 875-6877
County of Sacramento
Juvenile Dependency Division
3331 Power Inn Road, Suite 350
Sacramento, CA  95826
frawley@saccounty.net
Party name: California State Association of Counties, et al.
 
Gregory G. Garre Latham & Watkins, LLP(202) 637-2207
555 11th Street, N.W.
Suite 1000
Washington, DC  20004
gregory.garre@lw.com
Party name: Birth Mother
 
David M. Gische Troutman Sanders LLP(202) 662-2015
401 9th Street, N.W., Suite 1000
Washington, DC  20004
david.gische@troutmansanders.com
Party name: National Latina/o Psychological Association, et al.
 
Marcelino R. Gomez Assistant Attorney General(928) 871-6210
Navajo Nation Department of Justice
P.O. Box 2010
Widow Rock, AZ  86515
Party name: Navajo Nation
 
Mary Jo Brooks Hunter 1536 Hewitt Avenue (652)-523-2898
Saint Paul, MN  55104
mhunter@hamline.edu
Party name: Hamline University School of Law Child Advocacy Clinic
 
Scott H. Ikeda 445 Minnesota Street Suite 1100(651)-757-1385
St. Paul, MN  55101-2128
scott.ikeda@ag.state.mn.us
Party name: Minnesota Department of Human Services and Minnesota Ombudsperson for American Indian Families
 
John M. Jerabek Tuft, Lach and Jerabek, PLLC(612) 333-2400
2109 County Road D East
Maplewood, MN  55109-5444
www.tuftlaw.com
Party name: National Council for Adoption
 
Theane Evangelis Kapur Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP(213) 229-7000
333 South Grand Ave., 48th Floor
Los Angeles, CA  90071
tkapur@gibsondunn.com
Party name: Child Advocacy Organizations
 
Heather R. Kendall Native American Rights Fund(907) 257-0505
801 B St., Suite 404
Anchorage, AK  99517
dendall@narf.org
Party name: Tanana Chiefs Conference, et al.
 
Edwin S. Kneedler Deputy Solicitor General(202) 514-2217
United States Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC  20530-0001
Party name: Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, a Minor Child Under the Age of Fourteen Years, et al.
 
Frederick J. Magovern Magovern & Sclafani (212) 962-1450
111 John Street, Suite 1509
New York, NY  10038-3101
fjmagovern@gmail.com
Party name: Adoptive Parents Committee, Inc.
 
Phillip J. McCarthy Jr. McCarthy Weston PLLC(928)-779-4252
508 N. Humphreys Street
Flagstaff, AZ  86001
jay@mccarthyweston.com
Party name: American Academy of Adoption Attorneys
 
Lori Alvino McGill Latham & Watkins LLP(202)-637-2319
555 11th Street, NW
Suite 1000
Washington, DC  20004
lori.alvino.mcgill@lw.com
Party name: Birth Mother
 
Jon Metropoulos Metropoulos Law Firm, PLLC(406) 442-0285
50 S. Last Chance Gulch, Suite 4
Helena, MT  59601
jon@metropouloslaw.com
Party name: Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare
 
Patricia A. Millett Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld LLP(202) 887-4000
1333 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC  20036-1564
pmillett@akingump.com
Party name: Casey Family Programs, et al.
 
Mark W. Mosier Covington & Burling LLP(202) 662-6000
1201 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC  20004
mmosier@cov.com
Party name: Professors Joan Heifetz Hollinger, et al.
 
Stephen L Pevar American Civil Liberties Union Foundation(860) 570-9830
330 Main Street, First Floor
Hartford, CT  06106
spevar@aclu.org
Party name: American Civil Liberties Union, and ACLU of South Carolina
 
Colette Routel 875 Summit Ave.(651) 290-6327
St. Paul, MN  55108
colette.routel@wmitchell.edu
Party name: Wisconsin Tribes
 
Joe P. Sparks The Sparks Law Firm, P.C.(480) 949-1339
7503 First Street
Scottsdale, AZ  85251
joesparks@sparkslawaz.com
Party name: Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, et al.
 
Kelly Gaines Stoner 2501 N. Blackwelder (405)-208-5188
Oklahoma City, OK  73106
kstoner@okcu.edu
Party name: Oklahoma Indian Child Welfare Association
 
Jerry C. Straus Hobbs, Straus, et al.(202) 822-8282
2120 L St., NW, #700
Washington, DC  20037
jstraus@hobbsstraus.com
Party name: Seminole Tribe of Florida, et al.
 
Kathleen M. Sullivan Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP(212) 849-7000
51 Madison Ave., 22nd Floor
New York, NY  10010
kathleensullivan@quinnemanuel.com
Party name: Current and Former Members of Congress
 
Randall Tietjen 2800 LaSalle Plaza(612) 349-8500
800 LaSalle Ave.
Minneapolis, MN  55402
rmtietjen@rkmc.com
Party name: Bonnie and Shannon Hofer, et al.
 
Jack F. Trope Association on American Indian Affairs(240) 314-7155
966 Hungerford Drive, Suite 12-B
Rockville, MD  20850
jt.aaia@indian-affairs.org
Party name: Association of American Indian Affairs, et al.
 
Donald B. Verrilli Jr. Solicitor General(202) 514-2217
United States Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC  20530-0001
SupremeCtBriefs@USDOJ.gov
Party name: the United States
 
Dawn R. Williams Office of the Arizona Attorney General(520)-746-4443
3939 S. Park Ave., Suite 180
Tucson, AZ  85714
dawn.williams@azag.gov
Party name: Arizona, et al.