The Malawi Supreme Court has adjourned indefinitely the case to decide whether super-star pop singer Madonna will be allowed to adopt a 3-year-old girl named Chifundo "Mercy" James.
Madonna's first attempt to adopt Mercy was rejected last month after a judge said she failed to meet the southern African nation's residency requirements for international adoption. All foreigners are required to reside in Malawi for 18 to 24 months with the child prior to being granted an adoption, something the entertainer did not do.

"There is a gripping temptation to throw caution to the wind and grant an adoption in the hope that there will be a difference in the life of even just one child," Justice E.J. Chombo wrote in the lower court ruling. "But removing the very safeguard that is supposed to protect our children ... could actually facilitate trafficking of children by some unscrupulous individuals."