Art. 1283.17 Refusal of interlocutory or final decree

If a judge decides that an intercountry adoption is not in the child's best interest, the judge can refuse to approve the adoption, whether it's a temporary (interlocutory) or final decree. This means the adoption stops moving forward, and the people trying to adopt the child (the petitioners) don't get approval.

When this happens, the judge has the power to take the child away from the petitioners. The judge can then either give custody back to whoever had legal custody before, or appoint a new custodian to care for the child. This gives the court a way to protect the child if the adoption isn't going to work out well for them.