Family Law

Catalog description

This 3-credit elective course in family law specifically designed for post J.D. students provides an overview of the laws and court decisions in the United States that have shaped family life and the institutions of marriage and parenthood, with a special emphasis on the role of the legal system as it affects children's rights and welfare within these institutions. With a base line understanding of the general principles of constitutional law in family law cases, students then turn to an exploration of thematic topics, including evolving standards for child custody and the factors in custody decisions, including race, religion and domestic violence and the formation of multiple- parent families and child custody. We also explore corporal punishment and other parental decisions of child rearing, including emerging issues of children's privacy in the age of social media and the increasing recognition in family law of children's rights to be heard in decisions affecting their welfare.