Family Law Commons^™

"Home Sweet Home": Defining A Child's Residence To Establish Original Jurisdiction Cases Involving Family Abduction

Child and Family Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Domestic Violence And The Maryland Family Violence Option, Karen Czapanskiy

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Medical Treatment Of Children With Hiv Illness And The Need For Supportive Intervention: The Challenges Of Medical Providers, Families And The State, Deborah J. Weimer

Faculty Scholarship

Human iummuno-deficiency virus (HIV) illness in children poses tremendous challenges to medical providers and families to work together to deliver optimal care. An alternative to filing "neglect" reports with the Department of Social Services is necessary to provide support and appropriate intervention to families and medical providers caring for HIV-positive children.

The creation of a neutral entity that could intervene and identify barriers to treatment and communication between the medical providers and the family would benefit all the parties involved. Knowledgeable mediators could help facilitate communication and identify appropriate support for the child and family.

Intervention would not be delayed …

What's Wrong With A Parenthood Market? A New And Improved Theory Of Commodification, Martha M. Ertman

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Civil Procedure—Court Inflexibility Puts Appellant In A Bad Position Regarding Attorney Mistake—In Re Welfare Of J.R., Jr., Douglas L. Pfeifer

William Mitchell Law Review

Recently, in the case of In re Welfare of J.R., Jr., a proceeding involving the termination of a mother's parental rights, the Minnesota Supreme Court was faced with the issue of whether to affirm a court of appeals order dismissing the mother's appeal for failure to timely serve notice on the child's guardian ad litem, or to excuse the delay under an analysis similar to that required when a party seeks relief from a final judgment or order under Minnesota Rule of Civil Procedure 60.02 (“Rule 60.02”). The appellant argued that in cases involving the termination of parental rights, a …

Is Marriage Obsolete?, Lynn D. Wardle

Michigan Journal of Gender & Law

Is legal marriage obsolete? Wardle thinks not. In order to understand why not, it is necessary first to grasp the significance of the focus of the discussion on the legal status of marriage. As this Introduction suggests, lack of legal marriage status does not prevent families and communities from treating couples as married nor does the law forbid couples from voluntarily providing each other "marital benefits." Nevertheless, whether marriage is obsolete at the beginning of the twenty-first century is an important question. This article analyzes four dimensions of that question.

The Marriage Dower: Essential Guarantor Of Women's Rights In The West Bank And Gaza Strip, Heather Jacobson

Michigan Journal of Gender & Law

This Article evaluates the impact that eliminating or reducing the marriage dower would have on the well-being of Muslim women in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Although Palestinian women's rights organizations seek to eliminate dower on the grounds that it is a "burdensome custom" that is "inconsistent with the intifada's stated goal of improving women's status," in fact, the interaction between dower and other laws relating to marriage and divorce is such that the majority of women would be materially harmed by its discontinuance. Therefore, while the movement to eliminate dower may benefit the financially secure upper class women …

Queering Domestic Violence To Straighten Out Criminal Law: What Might Happen When Queer Theory And Practice Meet Criminal Law's Conventional Responses To Domestic Violence, Adele M. Morrison

Law Faculty Research Publications

No abstract provided.

Custody And Visitation: Considerations For Every Attorney Retained By A Survivor Of Domestic Violence, Caitlin Glass, Tamara Kuennen, Sharon Lopez

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

Legal representation is a critical tool for survivors of domestic violence to live free from their battering partners. Representation in custody and visitation matters-- integral issues in the separation context--is particularly consequential for survivors. First, studies of custody litigation indicate that fathers who battered the mothers of their children are twice as likely to seek sole physical custody as are nonviolent fathers. Batterers are as likely as nonbattering fathers to prevail. Since the 1970s, fathers in general have been at a marked advantage in custody disputes. Second, custody and visitation claims involve a complex array of legal issues, laws, practices, …

Healthy Children, Healthy Communities: Schools, Parks, Recreation, And Sustainable Regional Planning, Robert Garcia, Erica S. Flores, Sophia Mei-Ling

Fordham Urban Law Journal

Obesity and inactivity have become a troubling crisis for today’s youth. Low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately affected by these conditions, due to a denial of the benefits of safe open spaces for physical activity and opportunities to be active. The article describes the epidemic of obesity and unfitness in the United States and the statistics associated with inactivity, as well as the health impacts associated with being overweight and obese and the importance of physical activity. Along with the health implications, the trend in obesity is primed to carry huge direct and indirect financial costs. This health …

Feminist Inquiry And Action: Introduction To A Symposium On Confronting Domestic Violence And Achieving Gender Equality: Evaluating Battered Women & Feminist Lawmaking By Elizabeth Schneider, Ann Shalleck

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.

Engaging With The State: The Growing Reliance On Lawyers And Judges To Protect Battered Women, Jane C. Murphy

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.

The Potential And Challenges Of Transnational Litigation For Feminist Concerned About Domestic Violence Here And Abroad, Merle H. Weiner

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.

Criminalizing Dowry Deaths: The Indian Experience, Judith G. Greenberg

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.

Implementing A National Putative Father Registry By Utilizing Existing Federal/State Collaborative Databases, 36 J. Marshall L. Rev. 1033 (2003), Donna L. Moore

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Intersection Between Welfare Reform And Child Support Enforcement: D.C.’S Weak Link, Stacy Brustin

Scholarly Articles

This Article examines the effectiveness with which the District of Columbia has linked welfare reform and child support collection. Part I discusses the ways in which the 1996 federal welfare reform legislation significantly altered federal and state child support systems. Part II shifts the discussion from the national arena to the District of Columbia and explores legislative, executive, and judicial responses to child support enforcement in the wake of federal welfare reform.

Part III recommends ways in which the District of Columbia can improve its enforcement system and suggests that it is not enough to simply establish child support orders; …

West Virginia Takes Refuge In Troxel's Safe Harbor: State Ex Rel. Brandon L. V. Moats, Kristina Thomas Whiteaker

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Prohibiting Procreation: A Step In The Right Direction To Protect The Children Of Deadbeat Dads; An Analysis Of The Court Decision In State V. Oakley, Andrea C. Kryszak

Journal of Law and Health

This note will entail an in-depth analysis of the Wisconsin Supreme Court's majority opinion and the dissent. This note will also provide support for the majority opinion by evaluating how the court's decision will help protect the children of individuals like Oakley, who intentionally refuse to support them. While some may claim that the probation condition to prohibit Oakley from procreating was a drastic measure, it was the appropriate measure for the court to take. This sentence will serve as a deterrent to Oakley and other fathers who intentionally refuse to support their children. The probation condition will prevent any …

Yes, No, And Maybe: Informed Decision Making About Divorce Mediation In The Presence Of Domestic Violence, Nancy Ver Steegh

Faculty Scholarship

Divorce mediation in the context of domestic violence is one of the most controversial issues in family law today. Some believe that mediation is never appropriate when domestic violence has taken place, and others believe that it is always appropriate and should be mandatory. These views can be reconciled by taking a third approach, that mediation is sometimes appropriate but that this decision must be made on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the abuse survivor. The central premise of this article is that victims of domestic violence should have the opportunity to make an informed choice about which divorce …

Intimate Affiliation And Democracy: Beyond Marriage?, Linda C. Mcclain

Faculty Scholarship

This article takes up the question: Should family law and policy move beyond marriage? It assesses a spectrum of answers to that question. Rejecting proposals, on the one hand, to shore up traditional marriage, and, on the other, to abolish marriage, it argues that family law and policy should not move wholly beyond marriage, but should support marriage in a way that better fosters greater equality within and among families. The article is part of a symposium on "Marriage, Families, and Democracy," published in 32 Hofstra Law Review 23-421 (2003).

From Presumed Fathers To Lesbian Mothers: Sex Discrimination And The Legal Construction Of Parenthood, Susan E. Dalton

Michigan Journal of Gender & Law

In Part I of this article, Dalton briefly reviews the way legal scholars commonly define sex-based discrimination, particularly as it pertains to issues of reproduction. Part II is a brief historical review of legal constructions of parenthood. In Part III, Dalton examines two legal concepts: retroactive legitimation and presumed fatherhood. Both concepts were introduced in 1872 and each independently encouraged judges to think of fatherhood as consisting of two distinct spheres, the biological and the social. She then traces the legal development of these concepts through a series of presumed father, retroactive legitimation, and putative father cases. In Part IV …

Marriage Law: Obsolete Or Cutting Edge?, Michigan Journal Of Gender & Law

Michigan Journal of Gender & Law

Over the past hundred years, social and cultural expectations surrounding various forms of committed relationships have changed dramatically, and contemporary legal systems have struggled to adapt. The result has been an extraordinary opportunity to test fundamental assumptions about law, about the cultural understandings that are enforced through state power, and about the mechanisms that drive law's evolution. The Michigan Journal of Gender & Law has drawn together an exceptional group of panelists who will discuss these questions throughout the day.

Covenant Marriage Turns Five Years Old, Steven L. Nock, Laura Sanchez, Julia C. Wilson, James D. Wright

Michigan Journal of Gender & Law

Part I of this article discusses public policy rationales behind covenant marriage legislation, describes relevant aspects of Louisiana's legislation, and summarizes the efforts of other states to enact covenant marriage legislation. Part II discusses methods of data collection and analysis and identifies the demographic characteristics of covenant married couples as opposed to standard married couples in Louisiana. Part III addresses the dynamics behind couples' choice to have a covenant versus standard marriage. Part IV is an analysis of couples' satisfaction with their marriage option and the gendered dynamics of different levels of satisfaction with the marital choice.

Judicial Independence In Family Courts, Barbara A. Babb, Judith D. Moran

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

A Prescription For Gender: How Medical Professionals Can Help Secure Equality For Transgender People, Jennifer L. Levi

Faculty Scholarship

Transgender people have made tremendous legal gains in the last several years. We live in a period of rapid social change, hopefully approaching a time when transgender individuals and our families enjoy the same legal rights and privileges afforded to other members of society. However, we are not there yet. This essay discusses the role medical professionals must play if transgender people are to achieve full humanity in light of legal developments in the areas of employment and family law. Medical professionals are at the heart of directing and implementing policies that have an enormous effect on the lives of …

The Pedagogy Of Domestic Violence Law: Situating Domestic Violence Work In Law Schools, Adding The Lenses Of Race And Class, Sarah M. Buel

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.

Doubly Victimized: Housing Discrimination Against Victims Of Domestic Violence, Lenora M. Lapidus

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.

Ginger Rogers Dancing Backwards In Red High Heels– Feminist Lawmaking And Domestic Violence, Bette Garlow

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.

Wading Into Professor Schneider's "Murky Middle Ground" Between Acceptance And Rejection Of Criminal Justice Responses To Domestic Violence, Holly Maguigan

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.

Domestic Violence And The Maryland Family Violence Option, Karen Syma Czapanskiy

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.