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A. General
1. The
casebook for this course is Wadlington & O'Brien, Domestic Relations (5th
ed. 2002, Foundation).
2. Unless I announce otherwise, you should plan to read the
assignment for class N+1 if we at least began discussing the assignment for class
N the
previous day.
B. Reading Assignments
Handouts will be available only on the Web, in both HTML and PDF formats.
The main advantage with PDF is that pagination and formatting are
identical to the original, whereas HTML creates a "scrolling"
document that prints out differently on different computer/printer
combinations. PDF
requires a free Adobe Acrobat reader, which is available here.
Handouts have not been uploaded to the web page yet, but they will be as
the semester progresses.
Texas Family Code sections are provided as a general guide to Texas' statutory law in this
field. When reading these sections, be alert to specialized
definitions that may appear in sections I haven't cited, as well as to
the placement of the section within the Code as a whole. Class
discussion will occasionally touch upon Texas law, especially when our
law represents a significant departure from the majority rule described
in the casebook.
Class/
Casebook pp. |
Texas
Family Code |
Topics |
|
1. 1-14 |
|
defining "family" |
| 2. 14-31 |
|
Marvin trilogy; Hewitt |
| 3. 31-50 |
|
post-Marvin developments |
| 4. 50-72
28 USC §
1738C; Tx. Fam. Code § 6.204 (nonrecognition of same-sex marriage or
civil union), added by 78th Leg.,
SB 7)
|
|
marriage: religious aspects; state
interests; some constitutional law |
| 5. 72-96 |
|
more constitutional law |
| 6. 96-98; Lawrence (handout) |
|
Lawrence: does it change everything? |
| 7. 98-122 |
|
more constitutional law; some state con law
developments |
| 8. 123-49;
Curtis (handout) |
|
promises to marry; gifts in contemplation
of marriage; common law marriage |
| 9. 149-71 |
|
confidential marriage; marriage
formalities; proxy marriage; annulment; minimum age requirements |
| 10. 171-201 |
|
kinship; incapacity |
| 11. 202-18 |
|
pre-existing marriage; valid agreement to
marry; choice of law problems |
| 12. 219-41 |
|
husband & wife; names; transactions between
spouses |
| 13. 242-66 |
|
duty to support; testimonial privilege;
torts and crimes |
| 14. 266-90 |
|
domestic violence; third-party
interference; medical decisions |
|
15. 291-313 |
|
divorce: grounds and jurisdiction |
| 16. 313-39 |
|
divorce: grounds and jurisdiction |
| 17. 339-67 |
|
divorce: grounds and jurisdiction |
| 18. Dawson-Austin v. Austin (handout) |
|
divorce: grounds and jurisdiction |
|
19. 369-94 |
|
alimony and property distribution |
| 20. 394-423; Texas Family Code,
excerpt from Ch. 8 (handout) |
|
alimony and property distribution |
| 21. 423-54 & Family Code
§ §
3.401-.410 (handout) |
|
alimony and property distribution |
| 22. 455-75 |
|
alimony and property distribution |
| 23. 475-500 |
|
support for children |
| 24. 509-13, 520 (note),
520-22, 529-47 |
|
support for children;
antenuptial contracting |
| 25. 547-73 |
|
postnuptial contracts |
| 26. 588-623 |
|
enforcement issues |
| 27. 803-04, 869-83,
888-91, 907-18 |
|
raising children - rights and
obligations; medical decision making for children |
| 28. 930-31, 979-1000,
1011-14; Texas Penal Code § 22.04 (handout);
931-34 |
|
medical decision making for
children; custody |
| 29. 1014-41 |
|
custody |
| 30. 1051-52, 1068-72,
1079-1100 |
|
custody |
| 31. 1108-21, 1121-38 (skim),
1138-50 |
|
enforcement issues |
| 32. 1150-74 |
|
enforcement issues |
This page is the
sole responsibility of Tom Mayo, not Southern
Methodist University.
Please  your
comments.
Last
updated:
03 December 2003
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