Christy Maldonado

Type: Person

As of November 2026, Christy Maldonado has been mentioned in one podcast episode on Radiolab (Oct 2025). Christy Maldonado is featured as the primary subject in the "Adoptive Couple v Baby Girl" episode of the Radiolab podcast. Her role as the birth mother who arranged the adoption with the Capobiancos is crucial, particularly regarding her communications with Dusten that are central to the consent and notice disputes in the case. The episode highlights her collaboration with the Capobiancos and the open-adoption relationship she maintains.

Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, 570 U.S. 637 (2013), was a decision of the Supreme Court of the United States which held that several sections of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) do not apply to Native American biological fathers who are not custodians of a Native American child. The court held that the procedures required by the ICWA to end parental rights do not apply when the child has never lived with the father. Additionally, the requirement to make extra efforts to preserve the Native Ame