The Brazilian Supreme Court late tonight ruled in favor of a New Jersey dad seeking to be reunited with his nine-year-old son after a long and bitter fight with the child's Brazilian abductors, said Congressman Chris Smith.

             The ruling by Chief Justice Gilmar Mendes of Brazil's high court to throw out an appeal clears the path for U.S.-Brazilian boy Sean Goldman to be returned to his New Jersey father.

            “We are hoping for a reunion between father and son as soon as possible,” he said. “There must be no more delays. Sean should be returned to his father so they can go back to their home in the U.S. as soon as possible.”

             Smith, a Senior Member of Congress and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has been in Brazil with the father, David Goldman, since the House recessed on Dec. 18.

             A unanimous ruling by the Brazilian Federal Regional Tribunal court last Wednesday paves the way for the prompt return of Sean Goldman, now 9, back to his home in New Jersey with his father. The Court ordered that Sean must be turned over to his father on Friday at the U.S. consulate in Rio de Janiero.

            Smith said David Goldman, his lawyers and State Department officials will prepare for a proper meeting with Sean and his father to bring both back to their Tinton Falls home this week.

            “What a relief,” said Smith, a 30-year Member of Congress and a Senior Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “What a joy to be talking about this exchange from the abductor to his one and only father. David epitomizes what lengths a parent will go for their son or daughter.