I am sort of torn over this. On the one hand the Judge’s reasoning is out of whack, and he needs to be severely reprimanded over it. On the other the kid is a ward of the state when he is in the foster system and really, I don’t think the state should be a part of this decision while he is still a minor. In othe words I think he should wait until it is wholly his decision when he is 18. Don’t get me wrong, I was DEP with the Army but I had parents who knew me and what I needed for my life.
Both of your two sides have merit for further discussion, but of the two, the judge’s decision is WAY less reasonable.