Editor’s Note

The Year in Review issue includes articles by Family Law Quarterly (FLQ) Board of Editors members Professors Linda Elrod and Robert Spector. As FLQ Editor Emeritus, Professor Elrod has provided her annual survey of family law decisions throughout the country. Her article, Review of the Year 2019–2020 in Family Law: COVID-19, Zoom, and Family Law in a Pandemic, presents a comprehensive and engaging review of numerous family law decisions relating to custody, child support, parentage, marriage, divorce, property division, spousal support, and interstate disputes, among other topics. Professor Spector’s annual review of cases decided under the Hague Abduction Convention includes discussion of cases decided by federal circuit and district courts, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court. Thank you to Professors Elrod and Spector for their wonderful contributions to this issue.

The Year-in-Review issue also includes Charts 2020: Family Law in the Fifty States, D.C., and Puerto Rico, Part 1. Readers who are familiar with the Charts will see some changes, and we welcome your feedback. The changes are described in Editors’ Introduction to Charts 2020, Part 1, authored by me and Shelby Arenson, the NYLS inaugural Executive Law-in-50 Editor. Shelby, who graduated from NYLS in 2021, oversaw all student work on the Charts, drafted keys to the Charts with definitions for all column headings, and created a system for student editors to track and review all Chart work. Thank you, and congratulations to Shelby and to all NYLS student Editorial Board members, Senior Editors, and Junior Editors for tremendous work on this project. Thank you also to Lisa V. Comforty for her editorial contributions to the Charts and Keys and throughout this double issue. As always, thank you to ABA Designer Betsy Kulak and proofreader Betsy Blumenthal for their work throughout the issue, and in particular for their help in presenting the Charts.

The second issue, Exploring Identity, features Professor George’s pioneering article on custody decisions for children who are exploring their gender identity. The issue also includes Daniel Malkin’s essay Germline Editing Using CRISPR: Why a Moratorium Is Not the Solution, which won second place in the ABA Family Law Section’s 2020 Howard C. Schwab Memorial Essay Contest for law students. More information about both of these articles is included in the Introduction to that issue.

This double issue is the last issue produced by the inaugural NYLS FLQ Student Editorial Board. Because of the pandemic, the 2020–21 Student Editors worked together online throughout the year, with some students meeting in person for the first time after graduation. Congratulations to all 2020–21 Editorial Board members, Senior Editors, and Junior Editors for working throughout the year to continue the FLQ’s long tradition of excellence. To Editorial Board members Aliyah Polner, Kathy Torres, Shelby Arenson, Kelly Barrett, Sabrina Smith, and Erin Peake: Congratulations and thank you for your unparalleled leadership and your dedication to instituting the FLQ program at NYLS. Thank you to Dean Anthony Crowell, Associate Dean William P. LaPiana, Diane and Arthur Abbey, and the NYLS Faculty and Administration for your support throughout the year.

Finally, this issue was produced during the time of Michael A. Mosberg’s term as Chair of the ABA Family Law Section. Our heartfelt appreciation to you, Michael, for your remarkable leadership and vision in these challenging times and for tirelessly promoting and supporting the work of the Family Law Section and FLQ even when we could not meet in person. Congratulations and welcome to 2021–22 Family Law Section Chair Candace B. Peeples—we are excited to work with you this year! Thank you also to Michael, Candi, and Lisa Comforty for meeting with the NYLS student editors and sharing your inspiring words. And thank you to all members of the FLQ Board of Editors and to ABA Family Law Section Director Cindy Swan, Program Specialist Danielle Pruger, and Program Associate Ann Mullen.

In closing, best wishes to our readers, and thank you for your interest in FLQ.

All my best,

Lisa F. Grumet, Editor in Chief