Family Law Commons^™

Taming The Tigers: Domestic Violence, Legal Professionalism, And Well-Being, Jill Engle

Jill Engle

Domestic violence kills thousands of American women every year. In 2013, one of them was my client. My law school clinic represented a woman divorcing her abusive husband after twenty years of marriage. Three days after we served him with the divorce complaint, he walked into the grocery store where she worked and shot her dead. He then turned the gun on himself, and died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds. The lead student working her case listened in horror as one of our local colleagues who had heard the breaking news described it to her in a phone call to the …

Promoting The General Welfare: Legal Reform To Lift Women And Children In The United States Out Of Poverty, Jill Engle

Jill Engle

American women and children have been poor in exponentially greater numbers than men for decades. The problem has historic, institutional roots which provide a backdrop for this article’s introduction. English and early U.S. legal systems mandated a lesser economic status for women. Despite numerous legal changes aimed at combating the financial disadvantage of American women and children, the problem is worsening. American female workers, many in low-paying job sectors, earn roughly twenty percent less than their male counterparts. Nearly forty percent of single mothers and their children subsist below the poverty level. The recession exacerbated this problem, mostly because unemployment …

Confronting Domestic Violence In Higher Education, Jill Engle

Jill Engle

Panel presentation on Student Life, Relationships, and the Law. Panel presented at Pepperdine University.

Orders Of Protection In Domestic Violence Cases: An Empirical Assessment Of The Impact Of The Reform Statutes, Kit Kinports, Karla Fischer

Kit Kinports

The authors' concern that domestic violence reform statutes might not be having their intended effect sparked their decision to evaluate the protective order statutes empirically. The authors therefore distributed a lengthy survey to 843 domestic violence organizations nationwide that helped battered women obtain protective orders. The survey focused on three issues. The first issue was access to the courts: Is the protective order remedy accessible to battered women? The second issue related to the procedures for obtaining orders of protection: Are judges granting orders in appropriate cases, and are they awarding the full range of remedies contemplated by the reform …

Defending Battered Women's Self-Defense Claims, Kit Kinports

Kit Kinports

This Article contends that many battered women who kill their abusive spouses can legitimately raise the standard self-defense claim. No substantial extension of self-defense doctrine is required to justify the acquittal of battered women on self-defense grounds. Furthermore, no special "battered women defense" is necessary or even desirable in such cases. Part I of this Article summarizes the results of psychological research studying abused women and battering relationships. It further explains the concept of the :battered woman syndrome" which describes the effects of sustained physical and psychological abuse by one's husband. Part II discusses the requirements of a successful self-defense …

Super-Recognition And The Return-To-Sender Exception: The Federal Income Tax Problems Of Liquidating The Family Limited Partnership, Samuel Donaldson

Samuel A. Donaldson

This article discusses three income tax rules that can cause partners to recognize gain for federal income tax purposes upon the liquidation of a family limited partnership: §§ 704(c)(1)(B), 731(c), and 737. From a policy perspective, the application of these rules to traditional family limited partnerships creates two problems. These problems are illustrated through the use of a hypothetical case study. The first problem (which arises where the partnership holds loss property) is that of super-recognition, where a partner recognizes more gain from the liquidation than he or she would recognize upon a sale of his or her partnership interest. …

Contemporary Estate Planning Paradigms For Married Couples, Samuel Donaldson

Samuel A. Donaldson

No abstract provided.

Liquidation Of The Family Partnership: The Taming Of The Shrewd, Samuel Donaldson

Samuel A. Donaldson

Family partnerships and family limited liability companies are typically formed for reasons of efficiency, succession, and valuation. But all good things come to an end. Owners of a family partnership opt for liquidation in a variety of situations, usually following the death of the founding owner(s). Although most practitioners recall that the liquidation of a partnership is not a taxable event, few remember that as many as three Code provisions can come into play upon the liquidation of a family partnership. This article reviews those potential income tax traps and uses two examples to illustrate their coordination and application in …

Income Tax Aspects Of Family Limited Partnerships, Samuel Donaldson

Samuel A. Donaldson

No abstract provided.

Amicus Brief In "Robincheaux V. Caldwell", Tanya Washington, Catherine Smith, Susannah Pollvogt

Tanya Monique Washington

No abstract provided.

Parental Separation And The Child Custody Decision -- Towards A Reconception, Roxanne Mykitiuk, David Duff

Roxanne Mykitiuk

No abstract provided.

Equal Families, Equal Parents, Equal Spouses, Equal Marriage: The Case Of The Missing Patriarch., Shelley Gavigan

Shelley A. M. Gavigan

No abstract provided.

Children's Rights In The Midst Of Marriage Equality: Amicus Brief In Obergefell V. Hodges By Scholars Of The Constitutional Rights Of Children, Tanya Washington, Susannah Pollvogt, Catherine Smith, Lauren Fontana

Tanya Monique Washington

No abstract provided.

Brief Of Amici Curiae Scholars Of The Constitutional Rights Of Children In Support Of Petitioners, Tanya Washington, Susannah Pollvogt, Catherine Smith, Lauren Fontana

Tanya Monique Washington

No abstract provided.

The Law’S Obligation To Recognize And Support The Family Business: Foundations In Principles Of The Subsidiarity, Freedom Of Affiliation, And Promotion Of The Best Interests Of The Child, Scott Fitzgibbon

Scott T. FitzGibbon

Paternity Fraud: Regulation Of Women’S Sexuality And Family Relationships, Susan Ayres

Susan Ayres

No abstract provided.

Paternity Fraud And Family Secrets, Susan Ayres

Susan Ayres

No abstract provided.

Full Faith And Credit For Homosexual Marriage And A Resurgent Defense Of Marriage Act, Steven Specht

Steven Specht

When the Court considered Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in United States v. Windsor, it carefully avoided addressing Section 2 which created the ability for states to ignore the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Though bans on same-sex or homosexual marriage are slowly being overturned by the courts, Section 2 creates a work-around for many states to not recognize same-sex marriages from other states on grounds of public policy. Even if the Court is to strike down all state bans on same-sex marriage in an upcoming opinion, no case on Section 2 …

In Windsor'S Wake: Section 2 Of Doma's Defense Of Marriage At The Expense Of Children, Tanya Washington

Tanya Monique Washington

No abstract provided.

Ban Harms Georgia Kids, Tanya Washington

Tanya Monique Washington

No abstract provided.

Throwing Black Babies Out With The Bathwater: A Child-Centered Challenge To Same-Sex Adoption Bans, Tanya Washington

Tanya Monique Washington

No abstract provided.

Once Born, Twice Orphaned: Children's Constitutional Case Against Same-Sex Adoption Bans, Tanya Washington

Tanya Monique Washington

No abstract provided.

Loving Grutter: Recognizing Race In Transracial Adoptions, Tanya Washington

Tanya Monique Washington

No abstract provided.

Suffer Not The Little Children: Prioritizing Children's Rights In Constitutional Challenges To "Same-Sex Adoption Bans", Tanya Washington

Tanya Monique Washington

No abstract provided.

Amicus Brief In United States V. Windsor By Scholars For The Recognition Of Children's Constitutional Rights, Tanya Washington, Catherine Smith, Susannah Pollvogt

Tanya Monique Washington

No abstract provided.

What About The Children? Child-Centered Challenges To Same-Sex Marriage Bans, Tanya Washington

Tanya Monique Washington

No abstract provided.

Family Law: The Legal Ordering Of Intimate Relations, Tanya Washington

Tanya Monique Washington

No abstract provided.

The Disabling Impact Of Wrongful Birth And Wrongful Life Actions, Wendy Hensel

Wendy F. Hensel

This article explores the torts of wrongful birth and wrongful life, which primarily arise when a physician or laboratory is negligent in the context of pre-natal genetic testing. In wrongful birth actions, the parents claim that if they had been properly informed of the genetic defect, they would have aborted their now-existing child or prevented his conception. In wrongful life actions, the disabled child brings suit in his own name claiming that it would have been better if he had never existed in the first place. Central to such actions is the child's assertion that his parents rightfully should have …

Marital Property In Illinois: The Complexities Wrought By The Presumption Of Gift, Transmutation, And Commingling, William Gregory

William A. Gregory

No abstract provided.

The Regulation Of Genetic Aspects Of Donated Reproductive Tissue - The Need For Federal Regulation, Yaniv Heled

Yaniv Heled

It is estimated that egg and sperm donations account for more than 60,000 births every year in the United States. However, surprisingly, and despite common misconceptions, there are no federal requirements and barely any state requirements to screen and test sperm and egg donors for genetic diseases. The only nationwide standards for genetic screening and testing of donated reproductive tissue are guidelines created by professional organizations, but compliance with those guidelines is voluntary so they cannot be enforced effectively. Furthermore, the few reported cases involving children born from genetically-compromised reproductive tissue illustrate the court system’s failure to afford such children …