In Family Law in America, Professor Sanford N. Katz examines current family law, discussing the tension between individual autonomy and governmental regulation. Katz also examines definitions of formal and informal marriage, divorce procedures and child custody, and state intervention into parent-child relationships. Katz concludes by discussing the conventional model of child adoption, describing how additional models are developed in response to new family forms. This version contains an important new introduction regarding the progression of judicial recognition of same-sex marriage.