This book examines the present state of family law in America. This third edition captures recent developments, including the transformation of the institution of marriage to encompass same-sex marriage. In the discussion of same-sex marriage, Professor Katz analyses each opinion, majority and dissenting, in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges, the United States Supreme Court case that lifted the ban on same-sex marriage. Themes include the tension between individual autonomy and governmental regulation in all aspects of family law, the extent to which relationships established before marriage are being regulated, and how marriage is being redefined to take into account gender equality and the legal recognition of same-sex marriage. It demonstrates how the definition of marriage as a partnership in which the individual spouse's rights are recognized has resulted in protection of the vulnerable spouse. It also examines fault and no-fault divorce procedures and the extent to which these procedures reflect social realities. This volume describes state intervention into the parent and child relationship and how this is reflected in the re-examination of the privacy of the family unit. It concludes with a discussion of the conventional model of adoption of children and how new assisted reproductive technologies are having an impact on family formation, particularly adoption, to take into account new family forms.

Comprehensive, practical, and accessible, California Family Law by Waller and Waller speaks to the needs of a wide range of users: paralegals and paralegal students, law students, and practitioners. Focused squarely on the California Family Code, California Family Law integrates statutory law and judicial interpretation into a cohesive, general discussion of all aspects of the state's family law. Its practical, straightforward approach is designed to teach students the basics, and powerful pedagogy makes it stand apart from most books on California Law. Chapter Overviews and Summaries, exercises, Key Terms, hypotheticals, and a glossary combine with examples of all the key Judicial Council forms used in the practice of family law in California. Comprehensive coverage explores all the key topics and developments in this constantly evolving area of the law. California Family Law has long had a broad appeal for law school courses and law offices as well as paralegal programs. Teachers and students at all levels appreciate the carefully constructed pedagogy, while all users value the integration of statutory law and judicial interpretation in a practical, comprehensive approach. New to the Ninth Edition: With this ninth edition, the authors of California Family Law introduce hypothetical essay questions to help students test their understanding of each chapter's central concepts. Moreover, a new, final chapter with additional hypotheticals helps students prepare for their final exam. The chapter ends with discussions of all the hypotheticals in the book, so that students may compare their answers. Professors and students will benefit from: Focus on the California Family Code, including integrating statutory law and judicial interpretation, and providing a cohesive discussion of all aspects of family law. Powerful pedagogy that surpasses most books on California law, including chapter overviews and summaries, exercises, key terms, glossary and more. Helpful features such as chapter overviews and summaries, exercises, key terms, and more. Key forms that students will encounter in practice.

Comparative in both approach and framework, Family Law, Sex and Society provides a critical exposition of key areas in family law, exploring their evolution and development within their historical, cultural, political and legal context. Cross-referencing to English law throughout, this comparative textbook pays particular attention to the transformation of marriage; the development of divorce laws; matrimonial property; the legal recognition of unmarried heterosexual and same-sex cohabitants; the universal adoption of the best interests standard for children in domestic and international legislation; and the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 on family law in a variety of jurisdictions. Divided into different sections, Family Law, Sex and Society includes coverage of: a jurisdictional and historical survey of some of the main themes in Family Law, as well as consideration of the evolution of the Western family the English law relating to divorce, marital property and children and a comparison with the equivalent law in the civil law jurisdictions of France and Germany family law developments in other common law countries such as Australia and New Zealand, selected American jurisdictions, parts of Africa and some Far Eastern countries; and hybrid jurisdictions like Japan and Russia an analysis of the law relating to unmarried cohabitation and domestic partnerships in civil law jurisdictions such as France, Germany and Sweden in comparison to Anglo-American law a comparative analysis of the laws relating to domestic violence. Family Law, Sex and Society offers valuable socio-legal and socio-cultural insights into the practice of family law, and is the only textbook that provides a unified, coherent and comparative approach to the study of family law as it operates in these particular jurisdictions.

Family Law in a Changing America highlights law and family patterns as they are now, not as they were decades ago. By focusing on key changes in family life, the casebook attends to rising equality and inequality within and among families. The law, formally at least, accords more equality and autonomy than ever before; yet, as our society has grown more economically unequal, so too have family patterns diverged, with marriage and marital child-rearing becoming a mark of privilege. A number of developments--mass incarceration, the privatization of care, and reproductive technologies--have also contributed to disparities based on race, class, and gender. The casebook reflects the law's continuing emphasis on marriage, but also treats nonmarital families as central. Rather than privilege the marital heterosexual family, the casebook organizes the presentation of the law around (1) adult relationships and (2) parent-child relationships. New to the Second Edition: Updated coverage on reproductive justice and abortion access Expanded and updated and coverage of the Indian Child Welfare Act Updated coverage on the child welfare system and a focus on debates over abolition Professors and students will benefit from: Text that includes dramatic changes in family patterns, including declining marriage rates, with differential rates based on race and class; increasing rates of nonmarital cohabitation and nonmarital parenting; tensions between women's increasing education and employment and the perseverance of the gendered division of labor in families An approach that decenters the marital heterosexual family and instead is structured around the general topics of adult relationships and parent-child relationships Focus on the scope of family law, including extensive coverage of crucial sites of family regulation that are traditionally given short shrift Emphasis on multiple modes of legal interpretation (common law, constitutional, statutory) and multiple actors in the legal system (judges, legislators, lawyers, experts, social workers) Practical problems and exercises that illuminate the gaps, tensions, and implications of existing doctrine; some of the problems include postscripts explaining how the issue was resolved by a court or legislature An approach that draws on more recent cases and cutting-edge issues and that includes extensive coverage of the rights of unmarried partners, reproductive justice, assisted reproduction; parentage (including intentional parenthood, functional parenthood, and multi-parent arrangements), adoption (including open adoption, transracial adoption, and the Indian Child Welfare Act), the child welfare system, and family support