Media Advisory:
Maryland’s circuit courts host National Adoption Day celebrations

In recognition of National Adoption Day on Saturday, November 22, 2025, Maryland’s circuit courts will hold adoption proceedings and family celebrations at local courthouses statewide. National Adoption Day honors adoptive families and draws attention to the need for permanent, loving families for children in foster care. The media is invited to attend.

Anne Arundel County 
The Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County will commemorate National Adoption Day on Thursday, November 20, 2025, at a special hearing at 9 a.m. in Courtroom 4C. Administrative Judge Donna M. Schaeffer will preside over the six adoptions currently scheduled. Once the adoption hearings are completed, there will be a reception in the fourth-floor gallery of the courthouse for the new families and guests. This year, the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County has held 62 adoption hearings. To attend as a member of the media, please RSVP to the Office of the Court Administrator at 410-222-1404 or email [email protected].

Baltimore City 
The Circuit Court for Baltimore City will hold its 19th annual National Adoption Day ceremony on Saturday, November 22, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. Courthouse in Courtroom 400. Administrative and Chief Judge Audrey J.S Carrión, Judge Charles Blomquist, and Judge Myshala Middleton will preside over the adoptions. Special guest speakers will welcome the children and their adoptive families. After the ceremony, the families will be honored with gifts and surprises to celebrate the children and their families who adopted them from Baltimore City foster care. The Baltimore City National Adoption Day celebration is a collaboration of the Bar Association of Baltimore City, the Baltimore City Department of Social Services, and the Circuit Court for Baltimore City. A Zoom link will be provided for those who wish to join virtually. 

To attend as a member of the media, please RSVP to Natalie Foster, Executive Director of the Bar Association of Baltimore City’s National Adoption Day Celebration, at [email protected]  or 804-514-1862.

Baltimore County 
The Circuit Court for Baltimore County will hold a National Adoption Day ceremony on Saturday, November 22, 2025, at 11 a.m. in Ceremonial Courtroom 5 in the Historic Courthouse, 400 Washington Ave., in Towson. Judge Sherrie Bailey and Judge John Hennegan (ret.) will preside over the adoption of nine children into seven families. Following the ceremony will be a reception at Charles Village Pub on Pennsylvania Avenue in Towson, where there will be food, drinks, arts and crafts, face painting, a balloon artist and a special guest (The Oriole Bird!). To attend as a member of the media, please RSVP to Rachel Ruocco at 410-337-9103 or [email protected].

The Maryland Judiciary’s Adoption Day video features highlights from National Adoption Day activities at the Circuit Court for Baltimore County.

Montgomery County 
The Circuit Court for Montgomery County and Montgomery County Child Welfare Services will host a National Adoption Day ceremony on Friday, November 21, 2025, at 3:30 p.m., in Courtroom 3E to celebrate local children and families coming together through foster care adoption. Senior Judge Joan E. Ryon, Judge John Maloney, and Judge Jennifer Fairfax will finalize the adoptions of eight children. To attend as a member of the media, please contact Angela Yoo at [email protected] or 240-777-9119.

Prince George’s County 
The Circuit Court for Prince George’s County will host a National Adoption Ceremony on Thursday, November 20, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. The event will honor adoptees and their adoptive families. The ceremony will be held at the Courthouse in The Honorable Sheila R. Tillerson Adams Ceremonial Courtroom (M3400), 14735 Main Street, Upper Marlboro, MD, 20772. If you are attending as a member of the media, please RSVP to the event by contacting Kyra Wilkins, Communications Specialist, at 301-456-4178 or [email protected].