Modern Family Law: Cases & Materials 2008 Supplement

The 2008 Supplement to Modern Family Law brings the third edition up to date through July 27, 2008. It includes major developments in the areas of abortion, same-sex marriage and same-sex divorce, polygamy, domestic violence, no-fault divorce reform, parentage, and assisted reproduction.

New principal cases since publication of the casebook include:

• Gonzales v. Carhart, the Supreme Court’s decision upholding the federal “Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act”
• In re Marriage Cases, the California Supreme Court decision invalidating the state ban on same-sex marriage
• Bailey v. Faulkner, a heart-balm action against the couple’s pastor
• Gonzalez v. Green, recognizing contracts between same-sex partners, and Beth R. v. Donna M., recognizing a valid foreign same-sex marriage
• State v. Carswell, upholding the constitutionality of the state domestic violence statute in light of the state DOMA
• Iowa Supreme Court Attorney Disciplinary Board v. Morrison, a disciplinary proceeding against an attorney who became sexually involved with a divorce client
• Richardson v. Richardson, an unsuccessful effort to modify a separation agreement by a former husband whose wife tried to hire a “hit man” to kill him
• Finstuen v. Crutcher, holding that full faith and credit requires Oklahoma to recognize adoptions by same-sex couples formalized in other states even though Oklahoma prohibits such adoptions and
• Jacob v. Shultz-Jacob, a ruling that a child can have three legal parents

New excerpts since publication of the casebook include:

• the validity of ceremonial Islamic weddings
• an epilogue on Loving v. Virginia
• the testimony of Jessica Gonzales (plaintiff in Castle Rock v. Gonzales ) before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
• a narrative on Moore v. City of East Cleveland
• child maltreatment statistics

Other additions and updates since publication of the casebook include:

• eleven new Problems
• aging in the gay and lesbian community
• the constitutionality of the death penalty for child rape
• the forfeiture-by-wrongdoing exception to Crawford v. Washington
• online dating fraud
• proxy marriage
• naming practices
• recent amendments to the FMLA and VAWA
• new paid family leave legislation
• firearm restrictions and domestic violence
• discrimination against same-sex couples in housing and employment
• the “Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell” policy in the military
• paternity disestablishment
• bankruptcy reform
• child support enforcement
• custody disputes between members of same-sex couples
• grandparent visitation
• representation of children in custody and abuse cases
• parental relocation
• child abduction
• home schooling
• child abuse reporting
• transracial adoption, international adoption, and open adoption
• the legal status of sperm donors
• posthumous conception
• gestational surrogacy