Malawi Court Sets Date For Madonna Adoption Appeal

Madonna will have her day in court: May 4, to be exact.

Three judges from the country's Supreme Court of Appeals will preside over the private proceedings, officials said, adding the singer does not have to be present. It is unknown whether she will attend at this time.

The singer, hoping to adopt 4-year-old Chifundo "Mercy" James, is appealing a judge's rejection of her adoption request earlier this month. The judge said, in her ruling, that the singer had not met proper residency standards required for prospective adoptive parents.

She had residency rules waived three years ago when she adopted her son, David, from the nation. (Photo: Bauer-Griffin)