A guardian ad litem is a legally appointed guardian to a minor, but only for the span of a court case. The phrase literally translates to “guardian for the lawsuit,” reflecting the temporary nature of this responsibility. A guardian ad litem can be appointed for various reasons; in Anna’s case, her guardian ad litem, Julia, is appointed to her to provide insight into what’s best for Anna’s wellbeing, since Anna’s parents are being sued and thus cannot be impartial arbiters of care for Anna.
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Guardian Ad Litem Term Timeline in My Sister’s Keeper
The timeline below shows where the term Guardian Ad Litem appears in My Sister’s Keeper. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
2. Monday: Campbell
...he’ll file a petition, there will be a hearing, and Anna will be appointed a guardian ad litem . He tells her to call if she has any questions, and she, in turn,...
(full context)
8. Wednesday: Anna
Judge DeSalvo tells Campbell and Sara that he’ll be appointing a guardian ad litem to spend two weeks with Anna in order to figure out what she actually wants,...
(full context)
11. Wednesday: Julia
...a call from Judge DeSalvo, who asks her if she’s available to act as a guardian ad litem . Julia became a GAL a year ago after leaving nonprofit work, and she feels...
(full context)
...extremely suspicious and asks for proof of Julia’s identity when she claims to be a guardian ad litem . Julia notes that, if Anna is putting this much thought into talking to Julia,...
(full context)
...that she’s Kerri, then freezes when he realizes it’s Julia. Julia explains that she’s Anna’s guardian ad litem . Campbell says that he’d expected to run into her by now and smiles, which...
(full context)
12. Wednesday: Campbell
...that Judge DeSalvo told him. He says that he never expected her to become a guardian ad litem and admits that he imagined her as a married mom with a husband—which he still...
(full context)
