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About the Book

Modern Family Law

Front Cover - Modern Family Law

Fourth Edition

D. Kelly Weisberg
UC Hastings College of the Law

Susan Frelich Appleton
Washington University School of Law -St. Louis

2009.  1000 pages.  ISBN: 978-0-7355-8464-8. With Teacher’s Manual and Annual Case Supplement.


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About the Book

Offering  complete and even more concise coverage that includes contemporary issues of debate, Weisberg and Appleton integrate rich interdisciplinary materials with great teaching cases, notes, and problems.  Engaging narratives reveal the fascinating background behind the cases and connect students to the impact of the law on people’s lives.

Written with sensitivity to issues of gender, race, and class, Modern Family Law, Fourth edition, features:

  • probing coverage that reflects the social diversity of modern families
  • a candid examination of the development of family law in response to
    o the women’s movement
    o the children’s rights movement
    o the fathers’ rights movement
    o domestic violence
    o changing sexual mores
    o nontraditional family forms
    o developments in reproductive technology
  • interdisciplinary perspectives throughout the text
  • balanced coverage of contemporary themes and basic family law
  • a variety of problem exercises, most derived from actual cases and events
  • flexible organization adapts to shorter or longer courses

Updated throughout, the Fourth Edition addresses recent developments in the law, addressing:

  • Abortion, domestic violence, no-fault divorce reform, parentage, adoption and assisted reproduction
  • same-sex marriage, civil unions and same-sex divorce
  • major new cases, such as
    o Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health, holding unconstitutional the exclusion of same-sex couples from the right to marry
    o Gonzales v. Carhart, upholding the constitutionality of the federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act
    o post-Lawrence v. Texas developments relevant to sexual behavior
  • Recent amendments to FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) and VAWA (Violence Against Women Act)

Now in its Fourth Edition, Weisberg and Appleton’s Modern Family Law reflects a progressive and inclusive perspective that recognizes how the diversity of today’s families challenges traditional legal concepts and principles.

Preface / Sample Chapters