Download

Download Full Text (458 KB)

Description

EDITED BY CAROLINA ABDULLAH, APRIL PACIS, AND LISA F. GRUMET

This article provides summaries and context for 30 new family law statutes that were enacted in 2021 by legislatures in 20 states and the District of Columbia. The topics include Alimony/Maintenance, Child Custody, “Nonparent” Custody and Visitation, Child Representation and Child Welfare Proceedings, Property Division, Child Support, Parentage, and Domestic Violence. These topics are based on annual Charts published in this Year in Review issue of the Family Law Quarterly.1 The Charts survey statutes in the 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico and are updated each year in order to track changes in these areas of the law. The laws featured in this article were identified and selected in the course of updating the Charts.

The laws included here do not by any means represent all new family law legislation from 2021. However, they reflect developing trends in the area of family law. For example, the article includes summaries of laws that strengthen preferences or adopt presumptions favoring joint custody; heighten consideration for domestic violence when determining child custody, spousal support, or property division; legalize and regulate surrogacy; recognize more than two parents; enhance representation for children in child protective proceedings; and provide for special consideration of pets in the context of property division. This article is a new feature for the Family Law Quarterly’s annual Year in Review issue. We look forward to continuing to cover new legislation in these areas of family law in future years as the law changes over time.

Publication Date

2022

Publisher

Family Law Quarterly, Volume 55, Number 4, 2022. © 2022 American Bar Association.

Comments

Published in Family Law Quarterly, Volume 55, Number 4, 2022. © 2022

New Family Law Statutes in 2021: Selected State Legislation

Share

COinS