Landmark Court Rulings
On April 16, 2009, the Colorado Court of Appeals issued an opinion (08CA1235) which has already directly affected over 800 Colorado adoptees! The ruling states that people whose adoptions were finalized in Colorado betwen July 1, 1951 and July 1, 1967 may have access to the names of their birthparents and all adoption records in the court's possession. The court also held that, for adoptions finalized prior to July 1, 1949, legislative history contains no indication that the new law sealing adoption records, which took effect on that date, was intended to be applied retroactively.
- Click here to read the opinion in its entirety.
- See the FAQ/Adoption Records page of this website for help obtaining original birth certificates and adoption records.
- See the Learn/Court Rulings page of this website for links to other landmark decisions from the Tennessee State Supreme Court and Oregon Court of Appeals.