Joel Nichols, Chair-Elect for AALS Section on Family & Juvenile Law, has sent along the following call for paper for the January 2016 meeting of the AALS:
The AALS Section on Family and Juvenile Law invites the submission of papers to select one or two speakers for the program on Saturday, January 9, 2016, from 1:30-3:15 at the AALS annual meeting in New York. The program description follows:
The panel will explore the private/public distinction in family law. While “privacy” in family law typically connotes thoughts of reproductive rights, notions of private decision-making are prominent in other areas as well, including pre- and post- marital agreements. At the dissolution of a relationship, how much freedom should a couple have to construct a child custody plan without state input? Should a court always be permitted to second-guess parents' decisions based on a “best-interests” standard or should parents’ mutual decision control? Should parties be permitted to determine the financial terms of any separation agreement, perhaps even avoiding having a court review the agreement at all? Or is there a continuing mandatory role for judicial review and oversight, at least for the purpose of protecting weaker parties from abuse — but perhaps also to prevent parties from overreaching, or to promote a certain set of “goods” that the state favors at dissolution of a relationship? The panel will explore such questions, although proposals are welcome on other areas touching upon the private/public divide – including assisted reproductive technology (ART), cohabitation agreements, the role of parents (private) vs. the state (public) in education and child-rearing, and others.
Confirmed speakers (by invitation) include:
- Sarah Abramowicz, Associate Professor, Wayne State University Law School
- Maxine Eichner, Reef C. Ivey II Professor of Law, University of North Carolina School of Law
Submission Deadline and Procedures: Deadline is August 15, 2015. Papers and abstracts should be submitted by email to Joel Nichols, University of St. Thomas (MN) School of Law, [email protected]
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