A decision this summer by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in an adoption case has put two young children in limbo and raised questions about how judges decide what’s in a child’s best interest in a fight over custody.

The children in the case, now 5 and 6 years old, spent most of their lives with foster parents who wanted to adopt them. The children’s aunt also filed for adoption. The appeals court said the trial judge made a mistake awarding custody to the foster parents.