Supreme Court declines to hear appeal in disputed Afghan adoption case

Three Virginia Supreme Court justices dissented, calling the adoption “wrong,” “cancerous” and “like a house built on a rotten foundation.” On Oct. 19, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the Afghan relatives’ appeal in A.A. et al. v. Mast, Joshua, et al. (26-164), leaving the Virginia Supreme Court ruling for Joshua Mast in place. In September 2019 a U.S. Army Rangers and Afghan forces raid on a rural compound killed the girl’s parents and five siblings. The baby was found in the rubble and hospitalized at Bagram Air Base near Kabul. The State Department under Trump’s first administration worked with the Afghan government and Red Cross to locate relatives; a cousin and his wife raised her about 18 months. Fluvanna County judge Richard Moore granted Mast a final adoption in December 2020 while the child remained in Afghanistan, without notifying the relatives. Mast helped the family evacuate in 2021 during the U.S. withdrawal and later took custody at a U.S. refugee resettlement center over their objections. Virginia’s Court of Appeals voided the adoption in July 2024; the Virginia Supreme Court reversed in February, citing a six-month state-law deadline. A former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and groups supporting veterans and international adoptees backed the appeal. Contested: The Afghan relatives argued the adoption was flawed. Mast says he acted to provide a loving home and disputes their claims.