Chief Superior Judge Urges Flexibility, Flags Court Impact of H 98 Confirmatory‑Adoption Bill

At an April 2 hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chief Superior Judge Tom Zoney testified about H 98, a bill creating a confirmatory‑adoption process for children born through assisted reproduction. Zoney said the measure is a policy decision intended to provide a streamlined procedure separate from existing adoption law and that the courts “have no objections to this bill as far as impacts on the court, and we can make it work.”

Zoney told the committee the bill—whose House language the judiciary testified on and which the sponsors intend to attach to F 95—was designed because assisted‑reproduction circumstances “don't fit as well into the existing structure.” He said the new procedure could lessen court workload in some cases but cautioned that the legislation contains provisions that may create operational problems for probate courts.

The judge identified several specific…