A Review of the Year in Family Law 2013­–2014: Same-Sex Couples Attain Rights to Marry and Parent

Abstract

By the end of the reporting year, thirty-seven states had recognized same-sex marriage and additional states granted nonbiological same-sex partners parental rights. Also this year, Congress passed three important family-law-related acts. In September, Congress passed (1) legislation to implement the 2007 Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance. The new law requires states to adopt the 2008 amendments to the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act by 2018. (2) The Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction and Return Act of 2014 requires the State Department to become more aggressively involved in assisting parents of abducted children. The Secretary of State must designate at least one senior official in each diplomatic and consular mission abroad to assist left-behind parents from the United States and monitor developments in access cases. (3) The Accuracy for Adoptees Act requires federal agencies to recognize amended birth dates as issued by state courts. A judge can now correct an erroneous birth certificate. The year had its share of ther exciting cases as well.