Editor’s Note

The year in review is always meant to highlight for family law practitioners the emerging legal issues arising from the legislative and judicial branches of federal and state governments, and this year is no different. The U.S. Congress did not tackle many major family law legislative initiatives in 2018, other than some changes to the Indian Child Welfare Act. There were two notable changes in state courts, however, including an apparent uptick in the number of family law cases the courts are hearing and an increased focus on jurisdictional issues. In her Review of the Year in Family Law 2017–2018, FLQ Editor Emeritus Linda Elrod’s analysis of family law in the federal and state realms is, as always, an interesting and informative read, and it analyzes the recent increase in family law jurisdictional issues in state courts. Robert Spector’s article, Proceedings Under the Hague Child Abduction Convention: 2017–2018, provides a helpful look at this past year’s large volume of international cases arising under what may be the most litigated treaty in history.