Naomi R. Cahn

  • Justice Anthony M. Kennedy Distinguished Professor of Law
  • Nancy L. Buc ’69 Research Professor in Democracy and Equity
  • Co-Director, Family Law Center

Naomi Cahn is an expert in family law, trusts and estates, feminist jurisprudence, reproductive technology, and aging and the law. Prior to joining the University of Virginia faculty in 2020, she taught at George Washington Law School, where she twice served as associate dean. She is the co-director of UVA Law’s Family Law Center.

Cahn is a co-author of casebooks in both family law and trusts and estates, and she has written numerous articles exploring the intersections among family law, trusts and estates, and feminist theory, as well as essays concerning the connections between gender and international law. In addition, she is the author or editor of books written for both academic and trade publishers. Her books include “Red Families v. Blue Families” (Oxford University Press, 2010, with Professor June Carbone): “Homeward Bound” (Oxford University Press, 2017, with Amy Ziettlow); and “Unequal Family Lives” (Cambridge University Press, 2018, co-edited with UVA professor Brad Wilcox and others).

Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and New Yorker, and she has appeared on numerous media outlets, including NPR and MSNBC. She is also a senior contributor to the Forbes Leadership Channel, for which she regularly writes posts on gender equity.  

In 2017, Cahn won the Harry Krause Lifetime Achievement in Family Law Award from the University of Illinois College of Law. She has worked with the Uniform Law Commission as a reporter for two drafting committees. In addition to her work with the commission, Cahn is a member of the American Law Institute, an elected fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, editor of the ACTEC Law Journal and a member of the American Bar Foundation, among other commitments. She serves on the editorial board of the Family Court Review. In addition, she has chaired and been on the steering committee for some of the major Association of American Law Schools sections, such as Women in Legal Education, Family & Juvenile Law, Aging and Africa. From 2002-04, Cahn researched gender-based violence while on leave and living in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Prior to joining the faculty at GW Law, Cahn practiced with Hogan Lovells in Washington, D.C., and with Community Legal Services in Philadelphia.

Education

  • J.D.
    Columbia University School of Law
    1983
  • LL.M.
    Georgetown University Law Center
    1988
  • A.B.
    Princeton University
    1979

Forthcoming

Family Law for the One-Hundred-Year Life (with Clare Huntington & Elizabeth S. Scott), Yale Law Journal (2023).
The Political Language of Parental Rights: Abortion, Gender-Affirming Care, and Critical Race Theory, Seton Hall Law Review (2023).
The 100-Year Life and the New Family Law (with Elizabeth S. Scott) (2021).

Books

Wills, Trusts, and Estates in Focus (with Alyssa DiRusso & Susan N. Gary), Wolters Kluwer (2019).
Oxford Handbook of Gender and Conflict (with Dina Francesca Haynes, Fionnuala Ní Aoláin & Nahla Valji), Oxford University Press (2018).
Unequal Family Lives: Causes and Consequences in Europe and the Americas (edited with June Carbone, Laurie Fields DeRose & W. Bradford Wilcox), Cambridge University Press (2018).
Homeward Bound: Modern Families, Elder Care, and Loss (with Amy Ziettlow), Oxford University Press (2017).
Marriage Markets: How Inequality Is Remaking the American Family (with June Carbone), Oxford University Press (2014).
Finding Our Families: A First-of-Its-Kind Book for Donor-Conceived People and Their Families (with Wendey Kramer), Avery (2013).
The New Kinship: Constructing Donor-Conceived Families, NYU Press (2012).
On the Frontlines: Gender, War, and the Post-Conflict Process (with Dina Francesca Haynes & Fionnuala Ní Aoláin), Oxford University Press (2011).
Red Families v. Blue Families: Legal Polarization and the Creation of Culture (with June Carbone), Oxford University Press (2010).
Test Tube Families: Why the Fertility Market Needs Legal Regulations, NYU Press (2009).
Families by Law: An Adoption Reader (with Joan Heifetz Hollinger), NYU Press (2004).
Confinements: Fertility and Infertility in Contemporary Culture (with Helena Michie), Rutgers University Press (1997).
Domestic Violence: A Manual for Pro Bono Lawyers (with Catherine F. Klein & Leslye E. Orloff), Ayuda, Inc. (1 ed. 1991).
Report on District of Columbia Police Response to Domestic Violence (with Karen Baker & Sandra Jean Sands), D.C. Coalition Against Violence and The Women’s Law & Public Policy Fellowship Program at Georgetown University Law Center (1989).

Textbooks

Contemporary Family Law (with Douglas E. Abrams, Linda C. McClain & Catherine J. Ross), West Academic (1–5 ed. 2006–2019).
Contemporary Trusts and Estates (with Jerome Borison, Susan N. Gary & Paula A. Monopoli), Wolters Kluwer Law & Business (1–3 ed. 2011–2017).

Book Chapters

Family Law and Emotion (with June Carbone), in Research Handbook on Law and Emotion, Edward Elgar Publishing, 197–214 (2021).
Management of a Minor’s Digital Assets in the Event of Incapacity or Death (with Matt Savare & John Wuntermute), in Tax, Estates, and Lifetime Planning for Minors, American Bar Association, 425 (2 ed. 2019).
Planning for the Daily Care of a Minor in the Event of an Adult’s Incapacity or Death (with Alyssa A. DiRusso), in Tax, Estates, and Lifetime Planning for Minors, American Bar Association, 167 (2 ed. 2019).
Surrogacy in the United States of America (with June Carbone), in Eastern and Western Perspectives on Surrogacy, Intersentia, 307 (2019).
Personal Religious Identity at the End of Life (with Amy Ziettlow), in The Contested Place of Religion in Family Law, Cambridge University Press, 515 (2018).
A New Look at Demographics, Family Stability, and Politics (with June Carbone & Howard Levine), in Perspectives on Demographic Change and Public Policy: The Workforce, the Family, and the Social Contract, American Enterprise Institute (2016).
Digital Assets and Fiduciaries (with Christina L. Kunz & Suzanne Brown Walsh), in Research Handbook on Electronic Commerce Law, Edward Elgar, 91 (2016).
A Gendered Reading of Security and Security Reform in Post-Conflict Societies (with Fionnuala Ní Aoláin & Dina Francesca Haynes), in Sexual Violence in Conflict and Post-Conflict Societies: International Agendas and African Contexts, Routledge, 193 (2014).
Legal Kinship and Connection in U.S. Donor Families, in Relatedness in Assisted Reproduction: Families, Origins, and Identities, Cambridge University Press, 113 (2014).
The Past, Present and Future of the Marital Presumption (with June Carbone), in The International Survey of Family Law, Family Law, 387 (2013).
Masculinities and Child Soldiers in Post-Conflict Societies (with Fionnula Ní Aolaín & Dina Francesca Haynes), in Masculinities and the Law: A Multidimensional Approach, NYU Press (2012).
Red v. Blue Marriage, in Marriage at the Crossroads: Law, Policy, and the Brave New World of Twenty-First-Century Families, Cambridge University Press, 9 (2012).
Law Reform, Constitutional Design, and Gender, in On the Frontlines: Gender, War, and the Post-Conflict Process, Oxford University Press (2011).
Behavioral Biology, the Rational Actor Model, and the New Feminist Agenda (with June Carbone), in Law and Economics: Toward Social Justice, Emerald, 189 (2009).
Parens Patriae (with Catherine J. Ross), in The Child: An Encyclopedic Companion, University of Chicago Press (2009).
Placing Children in Context: Parents, Foster Care, and Poverty, in What Is Right for Children: The Competing Paradigms of Religion and Human Rights, Ashgate, 145 (2009).
Family, in Encyclopedia of Privacy, Greenwood, 217 (2007).
Child Witnessing of Domestic Violence, in Handbook of Children, Culture, and Violence, Sage Publications, 3–20 (2006).
Planning Options for the Daily Care of a Minor in the Event of an Adult's Incapacity or Death, in Tax, Estate, and Lifetime Planning for Minors, American Bar Association, 125 (2006).
Adoptees' Inheritance Rights (with Joan Heifetz Hollinger), in Families by Law: An Adoption Reader, NYU Press, 78 (2004).
Adoption, Identity and the Constitution: The Case for Opening Closed Records (with Jana Singer), in Families by Law: An Adoption Reader, NYU Press, 153 (2004).
Family Issue(s), in Families by Law: An Adoption Reader, NYU Press, 270 (2004).
Perfect Substitutes or the Real Thing?, in Families by Law: An Adoption Reader, NYU Press, 19 (2004).
Unnatural Births: Cesarean Sections in the Discourse of the 'Natural Childbirth' Movement (with Helena Mitchie), in Gender and Health: An International Perspective, Prentice Hall, 44 (2003).
Child Abuse: A Problem for Feminist Theory (with Marie Ashe), in Applications of Feminist Legal Theory to Women's Lives: Sex, Violence, Work, and Reproduction, Temple University Press, 916 (1993).

Articles & Reviews

The Price of Exit (with Eleanor Brown & June Carbone), 99 Washington University Law Review 1897 (2022).
Let Kids Be Kids (reviewing Kristin Henning, The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth) JOTWELL (2022).
Fertility, Immigration, and Public Support for Parenting (with Eleanor Brown & June Carbone), 90 Fordham Law Review 2485–2507 (2022).
Nonmarital Cohabitants: The US Approach (with Barbara Atwood), 44 Houston Journal of International Law 191 (2022).
The Instrumental Case for Corporate Diversity (with June Carbone & Nancy Levit), 40 Law & Inequality 117–153 (2022).
The Art of Regulating ART (with Sonia M. Suter), 96 Chicago-Kent Law Review 29–86 (2022).
Contextualizing Menopause in the Law (with Bridget J. Crawford & Emily Gold Waldman), 45 Harvard Journal of Law & Gender 1–70 (2022).
Managing and Monitoring the Menopausal Body (with Bridget J. Crawford & Emily Gold Waldman), 2022 University of Chicago Legal Forum 41–81 (2022).
Working Through Menopause (with Bridget J. Crawford & Emily Gold Waldman), 99 Washington University Law Review 1531 (2022).
Symposium introduction (with Micah J. Schwartzman & Gregg Strauss), Family Court Review 1–3 (2021).
Justice for the Menopause: A Research Agenda, 41 Columbia Journal of Gender & Law 27–38 (2021).
Gendered Complications of COVID-19: Towards a Feminist Recovery Plan (with Linda C. McClain), 22 Georgetown Journal of Gender and the Law 1–56 (2021).
Uncoupling (with June Carbone), 53 Arizona State Law Journal 1–63 (2021).
Inside History (with June Carbone) Balkinization (2020).
What's Wrong About the Elective Share "Right"?, 53 University of California Davis Law Review 2087–2124 (2020).
Blackstonian Marriage, Gender, and Cohabitation (with June Carbone), 51 Arizona State Law Journal 1247–1283 (2020).
Adapt Old Strategies to Fit New Family Arrangements (with Kim Kamin), 47 Estate Planning 30–35 (2020).
Changing Demographics, Elder Law, and Trusts and Estates, 46 ACTEC Law Journal 15–21 (2020).
CRISPR Parents and Informed Consent, 23 SMU Science & Technology Law Review 3–30 (2020).
Expanding Nonmarital Relationships (with Albertina Antognini & Kaiponanea T. Matsumura), 58 Family Court Review 968–969 (2020).
Perspectives on Nonmarital Relationships (with Albertina Antognini, Kaiponanea T. Matsumura & Emily J. Stolzenberg), 58 Family Court Review 142–144 (2020).
Digital Asset Planning for Minors (with Natalie Banta), Probate & Property 44–47 (2019).
Discrimination by Design? (with June Carbone & Nancy Levit), 51 Arizona State Law Journal 1–69 (2019).
Dismantling the Trusts and Estates Canon, 2019 Wisconsin Law Review 165–189 (2019).
Review of Hertz & Nelson, Random Families (reviewing Rosanna Hertz & Margaret K. Nelson, Random Families: Genetic Strangers, Sperm Donor Siblings, and the Creation of New Kin) 56 Society 524 (2019).
Women, Rule-Breaking, and the Triple Bind (with June Carbone & Nancy Levit), 87 George Washington Law Review 1105–1162 (2019).
Revisiting Revocation upon Divorce?, 103 Iowa Law Review 1879–1914 (2018).
Contraception Matters: Rights, Class, and Context, 24 Washington & Lee Journal of Civil Rights & Social Justice 529–560 (2018).
Custody and Visitation in Families with Three (or More) Parents (with June Carbone), 56 Family Court Review 399–409 (2018).
Gender and the Tournament: Reinventing Antidiscrimination Law in the Age of Inequality (with June Carbone & Nancy Levit), 96 Texas Law Review 425–488 (2018).
Revisiting Revocation upon Divorce?, 31 Minnesota Family Law Journal 155 (2018).
Sveen v. Melin: The Retro View of Revocation on Divorce Statutes, George Washington Law Review on the Docket (2018).
The Golden Years, Gray Divorce, Pink Caretaking, and Green Money, 52 Family Law Quarterly 57–86 (2018).
The New “Art” of Family: Connecting Assisted Reproductive Technologies & Identity Rights, 2018 University of Illinois Law Review 1443–1471 (2018).
The Politics of Marriage Policy (with June Carbone), 53 Australian Journal of Political Science 385–397 (2018).
Parents, Babies, and More Parents (with June Carbone), 92 Chicago-Kent Law Review 9 (2017).
Introduction: Symposium on Legal Feminism: Looking Back, Looking Forward, and Conference on The Family-Inequality Debate: A Workshop on Coercion, Class, and Parental Participation (with June Carbone), 35 Law & Inequality 161 (2017).
Jane the Virgin and Other Stories of Unintentional Parenthood (with June Carbone), 7 UC Irvine Law Review 511–543 (2017).
Moore’s Potential (with June Carbone), 85 Fordham Law Review 2589 (2017).
What’s Right About Knowing?, 4 Journal of Law & Biosciences 377 (2017).
Divorce American Style (with Jana Singer) (reviewing Wendy Paris, Splitopia: Dispatches from Today’s Good Divorce and How to Part Well) 50 Family Law Quarterly 139 (2016).
Editors’ Introduction: Honoring Our Parents (with Amy Ziettlow), 31 Journal of Law & Religion 115 (2016).
Incomplete Dispositions, 73 Washington & Lee Law Review Online 259 (2016).
Marriage and the Marital Presumption Post-Obergefell (with June Carbone), 84 University of Missouri, Kansas City Law Review 663 (2016).
Nonmarriage (with June Carbone), 76 Maryland Law Review 55 (2016).
Religion and End-of-Life Decision-Making (with Amy Ziettlow), 2016 University of Illinois Law Review 1713 (2016).
Unequal Terms: Gender, Power, and the Recreation of Hierarchy (with June Carbone), 69 Studies in Law, Politics, & Society 189 (2016).
"Making Things Fair": An Empirical Study of How People Approach the Wealth Transmission System (with Amy Ziettlow), 22 Elder Law Journal 325 (2015).
Class, Politics, Gender and the Marriage Divide in the United States (with June Carbone), 4 Families, Relations, & Societies 163–169 (2015).
Continuity and Caregiving: Comments on Someday All This Will Be Yours (reviewing Hendrik Hartog, Someday All This Will Be Yours: A History of Inheritance and Old Age) 40 Law & Social Inquiry 492 (2015).
Growing Inequality and Children (with June Carbone), 23 American University Journal of Gender, Society, Policy, & Law 283 (2015).
Introduction: Symposium on Assisted Reproductive Technology and Family Law (with June Carbone), 49 Family Law Quarterly 1 (2015).
Learning Lessons (reviewing Catherine J. Ross, Lessons in Censorship: How Schools and Courts Subvert Students' First Amendment Rights) 49 Family Law Quarterly 535 (2015).
Reality and the Family Courts (with June Carbone) (reviewing Jane Murphy & Jana Singer, Divorced from Reality: Rethinking Family Dispute Resolution) Journal of the American Academy of Matrimony Law 309 (2015).
Review of Williams & Dempsey, What Works for Women at Work (with June Carbone) (reviewing Joan C. Williams & Rachel Dempsey, What Works for Women at Work: Four Patterns Working Women Need to Know) 65 Journal of Legal Education 242 (2015).
The Honor Commandment: Law, Religion, and the Challenge of Elder Care (with Amy Ziettlow), 30 Journal of Law & Religion 229 (2015).
The Triple System for Regulating Women's Reproduction (with June Carbone), 43 Journal of Law, Medicine, & Ethics 275 (2015).
The Uncertain Legal Basis for the New Kinship, 36 Journal of Family Issues 501 (2015).
Whither/Wither Alimony? (with June Carbone) (reviewing Cynthia Lee Starnes, The Marriage Buyout: The Troubled Trajectory of U.S. Alimony Law) 93 Texas Law Review 925 (2015).
Young v. United Parcel Service, George Washington Law Review on the Docket (2015).
Review of Linder & Levit, The Good Lawyer (reviewing Douglas O. Linder and Nancy Levit, The Good Lawyer: Seeking Quality in the Practice of Law) Concurring Opinions (2014).
Digital Planning, 28 Probate & Property 22 (2014).
Contemporary Trusts and Estates: An Experiential Approach (with Jerome Borison, Susan N. Gary & Paula A. Monopoli), 58 St. Louis University Law Journal 727–738 (2014).
Do Tell! The Rights of Donor-Conceived Offspring, 42 Hofstra Law Review 1077 (2014).
Fully Informed Consent for Prospective Egg Donors (with Jennifer Collins), 16 Virtual Mentor 49 (2014).
Probate Law Meets the Digital Age, 67 Vanderbilt Law Review 1697–1727 (2014).
Review of DeFonzo & Stern, Intimate Associations (reviewing Herbie DeFonzo & Ruther Stern, Intimate Associations: The Law and Culture of American Families) 48 Family Law Quarterly 211 (2014).
Part I: Planning for a Client's Digital Assets (with Melinda Dudley), Elder Law Report 1 (2013).
Digital Planning: The Future of Elder Law (with Gerry W. Beyer), 9 National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Journal 135 (2013).
Is Marriage for Rich Men? (with June Carbone), 13 Nevada Law Journal 386 (2013).
The End of Men or the Rebirth of Class? (with June Carbone), 93 Boston University Law Review 871 (2013).
The Gender/Class Divide: Reproduction, Privilege, and the Workplace (with June Carbone), 8 Florida International University Law Review 287–316 (2013).
The Triple System of Family Law (with June Carbone), 2013 Michigan State Law Review 1185 (2013).
Who's the Father? (with June Carbone), 93 Boston University Law Review Annex 55 (2013).
Legal Parent Versus Biological Parent: The Impact of Disclosure, 19 Journal of Law & Medicine 790 (2012).
The New Kinship, 100 Georgetown Law Journal 367 (2012).
When You Pass On, Don't Leave the Passwords Behind: Planning for Digital Assets (with Gerry W. Beyer), Probate & Property 40 (2012).
Postmortem Life On-Line, 25 Probate & Property 36 (2011).
Gendering Constitutional Design in Post-Conflict Societies (with Fionnula Ní Aolaín & Dina Francesca Haynes), 17 William & Mary Journal of Women & Law 509 (2011).
Marriage, Parentage, and Child Support (with June Carbone), 45 Family Law Quarterly 219 (2011).
No Secrets: Openness and Donor-Conceived "Half-Siblings", 39 Capital University Law Review 313 (2011).
Old Lessons for a New World: Applying Adoption Research and Experience to ART, 24 Journal of the American Academy of Matrimony Law 1 (2011).
Embryo Fundamentalism (with June Carbone), 18 William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal 1015 (2010).
Hirsch Lecture: Gender, Masculinities, and Transition in Conflicted Societies (with Fionnula Ní Aolaín), 44 New England Law Review 1 (2010).
Protect and Preserve?, 13 New Criminal Law Review 127 (2010).
Returning Home: Women in Post-Conflict Societies (with Fionnula Ní Aolaín & Dina Francesca Haynes), 39 University of Baltimore Law Review 339 (2010).
Embryo Exchanges and Adoption Tax Credits (with Sarah Lawsky), 122 State Tax Notes 927–934 (2009).
Accidental Incest: Drawing the Line—or the Curtain?—for Reproduction Technology, 32 Harvard Journal of Law & Gender 59 (2009).
Embryo Exchanges and Adoption Tax Credits (with Sarah Lawsky), 122 Tax Notes 927 (2009).
Family Classes: Rethinking Contraceptive Choice (with June Carbone), 20 University of Florida Journal of Law & Public Policy 361 (2009).
Necessary Subjects: The Need for a Mandatory National Donor Gamete Databank, 12 DePaul Journal of Health Care Law 203 (2009).
Towards a Typology of Corporate Responsibility in Different Governance Contexts: What to Do in the Absence of Responsible Country Governance (with Anthony Gambino), 39 Georgetown Journal of International Law 655 (2008).
Deep Purple: Religious Shades of Family Law (with June Carbone), 110 West Virginia Law Review 459 (2007).
Examining the Biological Bases of Family Law: Lessons to be Learned for the Evolutionary Analysis of Law (with June Carbone), 2 International Journal of Law Context 277 (2006).
Poor Children: Child "Witches" and Child Soldiers in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3 Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law 4113 (2006).
State Representation of Children's Interests, 40 Family Law Quarterly 109 (2006).
The Class Ceiling, 65 Maryland Law Review 435 (2006).
Women in Post-Conflict Reconstruction: Dilemmas and Directions, 12 William & Mary Journal of Women & Law 335 (2006).
Beyond Retribution and Impunity: Responding to War Crimes of Sexual Violence, 1 Stanford Journal of Civil Rights & Civil Liberties 217 (2005).
Review of Mello, Legalizing Gay Marriage (reviewing Mello, Legalizing Gay Marriage) 67 Journal of Marriage & Family 1348 (2005).
Adoptees, Families, Stepfamilies, and Inheritance, 8 Adoption Quarterly 57 (2004).
Corporate Governance Divergence and Sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons from Out Here in the Fields, 33 Stetson Law Review 893 (2004).
Roe and Its Global Impact (with Anne T. Goldstein), 6 University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law 695 (2004).
The Biological Basis of Commitment: Does One Size Fit All? (with June Carbone), 25 Women’s Rights Law Report 223 (2004).
Battered Women, Child Maltreatment, Prison, and Poverty: Issues for Theory and Practice, 11 American University Journal of Gender, Society, Policy, & Law 355 (2003).
Caretaking and the Contradiction of Contemporary Policy (with Michael Selmi), 55 Maine Law Review 289 (2003).
Perfect Substitutes or the Real Thing?, 52 Duke Law Journal 1077 (2003).
Which Ties Bind? Redefining the Parent-Child Relationship in an Age of Genetic Certainty (with June Carbone), 11 William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal 1071 (2003).
Birthing Relationships, 17 Wisconsin Women’s Law Journal 163 (2002).
Faithless Wives and Lazy Husbands: Gender Norms in Nineteenth-Century Divorce Law, 2002 University of Illinois Law Review 651 (2002).
Parenthood, Genes, and Gametes: The Family Law and Trusts and Estates Perspectives, 32 University of Memphis Law Review 563 (2002).
Race, Poverty, History, Adoption, and Child Abuse: Connections (reviewing Dorothy Roberts; and E. Wayne (ed.), Shattered Bonds: The Color of Child Welfare<em>; and </em>Adoption in America: Historical Perspectives) 36 Law & Society Review 461 (2002).
The Coin of the Realm: Poverty and the Commodification of Gendered Labor, 5 Journal of Gender, Race, and Justice 1 (2001).
Children's Interests and Information Disclosure: Who Provided the Egg and Sperm? Or Mommy, Where (and Whom) Do I Come From?, 2 Georgetown Journal of Gender Law 1 (2000).
Collecting Child Support: A History of Federal and State Initiatives (with Jean C. Murphy), 34 Clearinghouse Review 165–185 (2000).
Looking at Marriage (reviewing Milton C. Regan, Jr., Alone Together: Law and the Meanings of Marriage) 98 Michigan Law Review 1766 (2000).
Policing Women: Moral Arguments and the Dilemmas of Criminalization, 49 DePaul Law Review 817 (2000).
The Power of Caretaking, 12 Yale Journal of Law & Feminism 177 (2000).
Adoption, Identity, and the Constitution: The Case for Opening Closed Records (with Jana Singer), 2 University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law 150 (1999).
Children's Interests in a Familial Context: Poverty, Foster Care, and Adoption, 60 Ohio State Law Journal 1189 (1999).
Gendered Identities: Women and Household Work, 4 Villanova Law Review 525 (1999).
Models of Family Privacy, 67 George Washington Law Review 1225 (1999).
Subsidy for Caretaking in Families: Lessons from Foster Care (with Catherine J. Ross), 8 American University Journal of Gender, Society, Policy, & Law 55 (1999).
Dependency and Delegation: The Ethics of Marital Representation (with Robert Tuttle), 22 Seattle University Law Review 97 (1998).
Reframing Child Custody Decision-Making, 58 Ohio State Law Journal 1 (1997).
Representing Race Outside of Explicitly Racialized Contexts, 95 Michigan Law Review 965–1004 (1997).
The Moral Complexities of Family Law (reviewing Nancy E. Down; and Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, In Defense of Single-Parent Families<em>; and </em>The Divorce Culture) 50 Stanford Law Review 225 (1997).
Pragmatic Questions about Parental Liability Statutes, 1996 Wisconsin Law Review 399 (1996).
Domestic Violence and Feminist Jurisprudence: Toward a New Agenda (with Joan Meier), 4 Boston University Public Interest Law Journal 339 (1995).
Foreword: Responsible Lawyers, 63 George Washington Law Review 921 (1995).
Family Issue(s) (reviewing Elizabeth Bartholet, Family Bonds: Adoption and the Policies of Parenting) 61 University of Chicago Law Review 325 (1994).
Family Law, Federalism, and the Federal Courts, 79 Iowa Law Review 1073 (1994).
Child Abuse: A Problem for Feminist Theory, 2 Texas Journal of Women & Law 75 (1993).
Double Jeopardy and Enforcement of Civil Protection Orders (with Joan Meier), 1 Texas Journal of Women & Law 75 (1993).
Inconsistent Stories, 81 Georgetown Law Journal 2475 (1993).
The Case of the Speluncean Explorers: Contemporary Proceedings, 61 George Washington Law Review 1754 (1993).
Speaking Differences: The Rules and Relationships of Litigants’ Discourses, 90 Michigan Law Review 1705 (1992).
Styles of Lawyering, 43 Hastings Law Journal 1039 (1992).
The Looseness of Legal Language: The Reasonable Woman Standard in Theory and in Practice, 77 Cornell Law Review 1398 (1992).
Civil Images of Battered Women: The Impact of Domestic Violence on Child Custody Decisions, 44 Vanderbilt Law Review 1041 (1991).
Defining Feminist Litigation, 14 Harvard Women’s Law Journal 1 (1991).
A Preliminary Feminist Critique of Legal Ethics, 4 Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics 23 (1990).
The Next Best Thing: Transferred Clients in a Legal Clinic (with Norman G. Schneider), 36 Catholic University Law Review 367 (1987).
Zoning, Porno, and the First Amendment, 9 Update on Law-Related Education 38 (1985).

Reports & Datasets

Knot Yet What? How to Build Stronger Families (with June Carbone), Knot Yet (2013).

Op-Eds, Blogs, Shorter Works

Who keeps the engagement ring after a breakup? 2 law professors explain why you might want a prenup for your diamond (with Julia D. Mahoney), The Conversation (March 23, 2023).
In states where abortion is banned, children and families already face an uphill battle, The Conversation (September 15, 2022).
Is it Legal to Travel for Abortion After Dobbs? (with June Carbone & Nancy Levit), Bloomberg Law (July 11, 2022).
What Triggers the ‘Trigger Laws’ That Could Ban Abortions?, The Conversation (June 7, 2022).
More Than Abortion Rides on SCOTUS in Dobbs (with Sonia Suter), Bloomberg Law (May 10, 2022).
The consequences of the leaked draft opinion go far beyond abortion rights (with Sonia Suter), The Hill (May 5, 2022).
Fertility treatment use is on the rise – new legislation could increase protections for donors and families in an industry shrouded in secrecy (with Sonia Suter), The Conversation (May 3, 2022).
Single, Female And Looking For Business Success: New Research, Forbes (May 2, 2022).
Generations later, the rights of donor-conceived people are becoming law (with Sonia Suter), The Hill (April 23, 2022).
Texas is trampling parents’ rights in its investigations of trans kids (with Anne M. Coughlin), Washington Post (April 8, 2022).
Six New Insights Into Enjoying Your Work—And Your Life, Forbes (April 5, 2022).
Updates On The Gendered Wage Gap – And Covid-19, Forbes (March 31, 2022).
Why conservatorships like the one controlling Britney Spears can lead to abuse, The Conversation (July 19, 2021).
New Report on Advancing Black Women, Forbes.com (June 10, 2021).
Women’s Status and Pay in the C-Suite: New Study, Forbes (February 19, 2021).
How Women Can Take Control In A Post-Pandemic World, Forbes (February 9, 2021).
Why Marriage and Divorce Rates are Dropping During the Pandemic, Forbes (January 15, 2021).
Why Aren’t There Even More Women Political Leaders?, Forbes (December 6, 2020).
How to Be a Successful Leader in Our Work-From-Anywhere World, Forbes (November 15, 2020).
How Covid-19 Hurts Working Women, Forbes (October 22, 2020).
How Leaders Can Learn to Be Humble – And More Effective, Forbes (October 20, 2020).
New Findings on Family Life During the Pandemic, Forbes (September 22, 2020).
What to Do About Contracts During Covid-19, Forbes (August 4, 2020).
What To Do About Contracts During COVID-19, Forbes (August 4, 2020).
New Study Shows How White Lies Can Hurt Women at Work, Forbes (May 24, 2020).
Mother’s Day and COVID-19’s Impact on Women of Color, Forbes (May 10, 2020).
Returning to Work, Disability, And COVID-19, Forbes (May 7, 2020).
Women in the Time of Coronavirus: Why We Need to Change Our Perception of Leaders, Forbes (April 22, 2020).
Women and the Frontlines of COVID-19, Forbes (April 5, 2020).
Don’t Get Fooled by COVID-19 Scams, Forbes (April 1, 2020).
Five Tips to Decrease Social Isolation for Older People During COVID-19, Forbes (March 18, 2020).
Loving Our Elderly Neighbor During the Coronavirus (with Amy Ziettlow), Institute for Family Studies Blog (March 16, 2020).
The Location of Leadership—And Why It Might Be Good to Get Out of Town, Forbes (March 12, 2020).
Where Are All the Women Leaders?, Forbes (March 3, 2020).
Do Women and Men Have a Confidence Gap?, Forbes (February 26, 2020).
Heart-Healthy Tips for Women Who Want to Lead, Forbes (February 22, 2020).
What’s Right About Today’s Families, Forbes (February 19, 2020).
What You Must Think About Before You Get Married, Forbes (February 16, 2020).
Four Tips for Going into Business with Your Life Partner, Forbes (February 11, 2020).
Fixing the Racial Wealth Gap?, Forbes (February 5, 2020).
Who Gets the Frozen Embryos?, Forbes (February 4, 2020).
Why Women Lose Custody, Forbes (January 26, 2020).
Getting the Most Out of Telework, Forbes (January 22, 2020).
Tips for Women—and Men—Who Want to Be Influencers, Forbes (January 16, 2020).
What Women—and Men—Need to Know to Do Their Best Negotiating, Forbes (January 12, 2020).
The Carole Ghosn Story: Legal Lessons of a Wife’s Situation, Forbes (January 8, 2020).
De-Gigging the Gender Pay Gap, Forbes (December 8, 2019).
Three Steps to Interrupt Bias at Work, Forbes (December 4, 2019).
Is Egg Freezing All It’s Cracked Up To Be?, Forbes (November 8, 2019).
Why the Gender Pay Gap Took Center Stage in Michelle Williams’s Emmy Speech, Forbes (September 23, 2019).
Fertility Centers Will Keep Inflicting Pain on Families Until the Government Steps In, USA Today (September 6, 2019).
Why the Question of What’s Going to Happen to Jeffrey Epstein’s Money Is So Complicated, Forbes (August 15, 2019).
When Fertility Clinics Get it Wrong,, Forbes (August 8, 2019).
Paying for Invaluable Work, Forbes (July 26, 2019).
What Should Stay-At-Home Moms Get at Divorce?, Forbes.com (April 19, 2019).
The Sandwich Generation on Wheels: Tips for Long-Distance Family Caregivers (with Amy Ziettlow), Institute for Family Studies Blog (February 21, 2019).
Small Change? How Our Daily Purchases Can Make a Difference, Forbes (January 17, 2019).
Fairness for Christine Blasey Ford, Forbes (September 20, 2018).
Planning Now for Later, Forbes (June 25, 2018).
Three Tips to Find Meaning in Your Job, Forbes (May 2, 2018).
The Economics of Family Behavior (with June Carbone), Institute for Family Studies Blog (February 8, 2018).
Updating Red Families vs. Blue Families (with June Carbone), Institute for Family Studies Blog (December 7, 2017).
The Digital Afterlife Is a Mess, Slate (November 29, 2017).
A Closer Look at the Jobs with the Highest and Lowest Divorce Rates (with June Carbone), Institute for Family Studies Blog (October 16, 2017).
The Key to the “Success Sequence,” Blue-Style (with June Carbone), Institute for Family Studies Blog (July 18, 2017).
Eating With Meals On Wheels This Mother’s Day (with Amy Ziettlow), HuffPost (May 4, 2017).
Who is at Risk for a Gray Divorce? It Depends (with June Carbone), Institute for Family Studies Blog (May 1, 2017).
Homeward Bound: Lessons on Modern Families and Elder Care (with Amy Ziettlow), Institute for Family Studies Blog (April 12, 2017).
New Research on Unmarried Mothers and Family Formation (with June Carbone), Institute for Family Studies Blog (April 6, 2017).
Sofia Vergara, Frozen Embryos—and Trust Law?, Concurring Opinions (December 10, 2016).
Protect Those You Love in Divorce, and Remarriage, Splitopia (October 5, 2016).
Nine to Five Book Symposium, Concurring Opinions (June 11, 2016).
Don't Get Married Until You Know Who You're Going to Be When You Grow Up (with June Carbone), Forbes Leadership Forum (May 4, 2015).
The Marriage Calculus (with June Carbone), aeon (April 20, 2015).
Why Do You Need a Lawyer, Anyway?, Path2Parenthood (April 14, 2015).
Why We Wrote This Book: June Carbone and Naomi Cahn, Marriage Markets: How Inequality is Remaking the American Family (with June Carbone), Hamilton and Griffin on Rights (December 9, 2014).
The New Math of the Single Mother (with June Carbone), Politico Magazine (October 13, 2014).
Women, Eldercare, and the Honor Commandment (with M. Christian Green & Amy Ziettlow), Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs (September 8, 2014).
Inequality and Marriage (with June Carbone), Chronicle Review (May 16, 2014).
The New Kinship, Gender & Society (April 15, 2014).
Emailing a Sperm Donor: "You May Want to Sit Down" (with Wendy Kramer), New York Times (December 16, 2013).
Assisted Reproduction: When Does a Father Become One? (with June Carbone), LA Times (August 12, 2013).
Caregiving in a Digital World (with Amy Ziettlow), Loud and Clear: A Special Needs Conversation (May 24, 2013).
Does Abortion Lead to More Stable Marriages? (with June Carbone), Slate (January 22, 2013).
Red Families v. Blue Families Revisited (with June Carbone), OUPblog (September 12, 2012).
How to Choose an Infertility Attorney (with Heather Ross), American Fertility Association (July 6, 2012).
State Budget Cuts: The Undeclared War on the Middle Class, New Deal 2.0: A Project of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute (November 18, 2010).
Between Two Mommies (Same-Sex Couples Raising Children Together), Legal Times (February 28, 2005).

Current Courses

After Dobbs (SC)
International and Comparative Family Law (SC)
Poverty Law, Advocacy and Policy
Sexuality and the Law
Trusts and Estates
Trusts and Estates

All Courses

Family Law
Trusts and Estates
Feminist Jurisprudence
Aging and the Law
Child, Family, & State

IN THE NEWS

05/14/2023
An Elderly Man Was Scammed Out of Millions. Could the Bank Have Done More To Prevent Fraud? (USA Today)
05/12/2023
An Obscure 1800s Law Is Shaping Up To Be the Center of the Next Abortion Battle – Legal Scholars Explain What’s Behind the Victorian-era Statute (The Conversation)
05/12/2023
Thanks to UVA Research, You Might Live to 120. But Can Society Handle That? (UVA Today)
05/10/2023
Informal Sperm Donation and Reproductive Justice (Bill of Health)
04/21/2023
The Supreme Court Rules Mifepristone Can Remain Available – Here’s How 2 Conflicting Federal Court Decisions Led to This Point (The Conversation)
04/12/2023
Why a Growing Number of Korean Youth Are Suing Their Exes (Arirang News)
04/11/2023
Abortion Return to Supreme Court Likely as Drug Rulings Collide (Bloomberg Law)
03/30/2023
Opinion: What Parents Are Really Getting From the GOP’s ‘Parents’ Rights’ Agenda (CNN)
03/22/2023
Who Keeps the Engagement Ring After a Breakup? 2 Law Professors Explain Why You Might Rant a Pre-Nup for Your Diamond (The Conversation)
03/09/2023
Courts Must Revamp Approach to Guardianship, a Potent Legal Tool (Bloomberg Law)
02/13/2023
Lawsuit Targeting Abortion Medication Could Have Wide Implications on Access (NBC Montana)
02/09/2023
Medication Abortion Could Get Harder To Obtain – or Easier: There’s a New Wave of Post-Dobbs Lawsuits on Abortion Pills (The Conversation)
01/04/2023
Explainer: What Does the FDA’s New Rule Mean for the Fight Over Abortion Pills? (Reuters)
10/24/2022
Claims of Abortions and Transitions for Minors Overtake Michigan Ballot Politics (Washington Examiner)
09/30/2022
It’s Been Almost 100 Days Since Dobbs. What Has Changed? (The 19th)
09/29/2022
Who Gets To Read Your Text Messages After You Die? (Slate)
09/15/2022
In States Where Abortion Is Banned, Children and Families Already Face an Uphill Battle (The Conversation)
09/09/2022
Panel Discusses Future of Abortion Rights in the U.S. (The Cavalier Daily)
09/08/2022
Roe v. Dobbs: The Future of Reproductive Health (UVA Today)
08/03/2022
With Roe v. Wade Overturned, Georgia Allows Pregnant Women To Claim Their Unborn Child as a Dependent — and It May Not Be the Last State To Do So (MarketWatch)
08/03/2022
After Kansas Defeat, What’s Next for Abortion Bans? (BBC News)
08/01/2022
UVA Law Professor Explains How Some States Could Move Forward To Ban IUDs and the Morning After Pill (CBS19)
07/31/2022
Three ‘Trigger Ban’ States Move Closer To Restricting Abortion (The Hill)
07/28/2022
Dems Fear Red States Banning Abortion Will Zero in on Birth Control Next (Axios)
07/27/2022
Conflicting Abortion Laws Are Making Women’s Reproductive Care a Quagmire (The Hill)
07/15/2022
How Will College Women Be Impacted by the Overturning of Roe? (WUVA News)
07/14/2022
Battle Lines Emerge Over Out-of-State Abortion (The Hill)
07/14/2022
Doctors, Lawyers Say Even Abortion Bans With Exceptions for ‘Life or Health of the Mother’ Could Put Lives at Risk (WUSA9)
07/11/2022
Is It Legal to Travel for Abortion After Dobbs? (Bloomberg Law)
06/28/2022
Let Kids Be Kids (Jotwell)
06/24/2022
Roe Stood for 49 Years. It Revolutionized Life for Women. (WIRED)
06/24/2022
Roe v. Wade Overturned: When Do Abortion-Ban Trigger Laws Go Into Effect? (MarketWatch)
06/14/2022
VERIFY: How Could IVF Be Impacted by Overturning Roe v. Wade? (WUSA)
06/08/2022
Colorado’s Precedential Ban on Anonymous Sperm and Egg Donors (Reuters)
06/07/2022
What Triggers the ‘Trigger Laws’ That Could Ban Abortions? (UVA Today)
06/01/2022
Diane Rehm Book Club - ‘The Children Act’ by Ian McEwan (The Diane Rehm Show)
05/18/2022
‘This is a Loophole’ | Why a Family Created Via Anonymous Sperm Donation Wants To See Industry Changes (WUSA9)
05/13/2022
Should Young Adults Know Their Sperm or Egg Donor? Colorado Thinks So (Deseret News)
05/10/2022
More Than Abortion Rides on SCOTUS in Dobbs (Bloomberg Law)
05/10/2022
Overturning Roe Creates a Tempest for Reproductive Health (Axios)
05/09/2022
Revealing Egg and Sperm Donors’ Identities (Scripps National News)
05/05/2022
The Consequences of the Leaked Draft Opinion Go Far Beyond Abortion Rights (The Hill)
05/04/2022
The Possible Post-Roe Roadmap (Politico)
05/02/2022
Single, Female, And Looking For Business Success: New Research (Forbes)
04/23/2022
Generations Later, the Rights of Donor-Conceived People Are Becoming Law (The Hill)
04/08/2022
Texas Is Trampling Parents’ Rights in Its Investigations of Trans Kids (The Washington Post)
04/05/2022
Six New Insights Into Enjoying Your Work—And Your Life (Forbes)
03/31/2022
Updates On The Gendered Wage Gap – And Covid-19 (Forbes)
03/29/2022
‘I Didn't Know’; Hampton Widow’s Advice on What To Do Before Losing a Spouse (WTKR-TV)
02/08/2022
2022’s Best Places to Get Married (WalletHub)
01/17/2022
Sperm Donation Is Largely Unregulated, But That Could Soon Change as Lawsuits Multiply (The Conversation)
12/14/2021
Scammers Target Last-Minute Shoppers (Kiplinger)
12/03/2021
UVA School of Law: Supply Chain Issues Create Breeding Ground for Scammers (NBC29)
11/21/2021
What Single Leaders Can Leave To Others (Forbes)
10/20/2021
Conservatorships (Podchaser)
10/06/2021
Time To Regulate Test Tube Babies (WVTF Radio)
10/01/2021
No, the Number of Conservatorships in the US Is Not Tracked (VERIFY)
09/28/2021
Fertility Industry (BYU Radio)
08/23/2021
The Fertility Industry Is Poorly Regulated — and Would-be Parents Can Lose Out on Having Children as a Result (The Conversation)
07/27/2021
Toiling—And Not Toiling: Law, Gender, Class, and Unemployment (Jotwell)
07/21/2021
Why Conservatorships Like the One Controlling Britney Spears Can Lead to Abuse (Shaye Ganam)
07/19/2021
Why Conservatorships Like the One Controlling Britney Spears Can Lead to Abuse (The Conversation)
07/16/2021
What Does Britney Spears Need To Do To End Her Conservatorship? (CBS News)
06/24/2021
Q&A: Britney Spears, Conservatorship and What the Law Says (UVA Today)
06/11/2021
Jury Awards $15 Million in Landmark Case Over Embryos, Eggs Destroyed in Fertility Clinic Tank Failure (The Washington Post)
05/18/2021
U.S. Supreme Court takes up Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health (WINA Radio)
05/17/2021
Abortion Case Before Conservative Court Gives Pro-Lifers Hope (The Washington Times)
05/14/2021
Subsequent Marries and the Elective Share (Jotwell)
05/05/2021
Platonic Parenting? How Some Start Families When Romance Isn’t Happening or Wanted (Deseret News)
03/27/2021
‘A Huge, Huge Toll’: For Households Reliant on Two Incomes, Covid Job Loss Changed Everything (NBC News)
02/19/2021
Women’s Status And Pay In The C-Suite: New Study (Forbes)
02/09/2021
How Women Can Take Control In A Post-Pandemic World (Forbes)
01/15/2021
Why Marriage And Divorce Rates Are Dropping During The Pandemic (Forbes)
12/14/2020
Why Leaders Need Stamina: Five Tips (Forbes)
12/06/2020
Why Aren’t There Even More Women Political Leaders? (Forbes)
11/30/2020
How Politics Drive Our Personal Relationships — And Even Where We Live (UVA Today)
11/15/2020
How To Be A Successful Leader In Our Work-From-Anywhere World (Forbes)
11/09/2020
Republican Reluctance (Miller Center of Public Affairs)
11/05/2020
The Day After the Day After (Miller Center of Public Affairs)
10/20/2020
How Leaders Can Learn To Be Humble – And More Effective (Forbes)
09/30/2020
Inside History (Balkinization)
09/29/2020
Failure To Shore Up State Budgets May Hit Women’s Wallets Especially Hard (The Conversation)
09/22/2020
New Findings On Family Life During The Pandemic (Forbes)
08/11/2020
COVID-19 Is Making Better Fathers (Milken Institute Review)
08/04/2020
What To Do About Contracts During Covid-19 (Forbes)
06/17/2020
The Best Ways To Land A Good Job: New Research On Authenticity (Forbes)
06/15/2020
Supreme Court Protects LGBTQ+ Workers From Sex Discrimination (Forbes)
05/10/2020
COVID-19’s Impact On Women Of Color (Forbes)
05/07/2020
Returning To Work, Disability, And COVID-19 (Forbes)
04/22/2020
Women In The Time Of Coronavirus: Why We Need To Change Our Perceptions Of Leaders (Forbes)
04/05/2020
Women And The Frontlines Of COVID-19 (Forbes)
04/01/2020
Don’t Get Fooled By COVID-19 Scams (Forbes)
03/18/2020
Five Tips To Decrease Social Isolation For Older People During COVID-19 (Forbes)
03/16/2020
Loving Our Elderly Neighbor During the Coronavirus (Institute for Family Studies)
03/12/2020
The Location Of Leadership – And Why It Might Be Good To Get Out Of Town (Forbes)
03/03/2020
Where Are All The Women Leaders? (Forbes)
02/26/2020
Do Women And Men Have A Confidence Gap? (Forbes)
02/22/2020
Heart-Healthy Tips For Women Who Want To Lead (Forbes)
02/19/2020
What’s Right About Today’s Families (Forbes)
02/16/2020
What You Must Think About Before You Get Married (Forbes)
02/11/2020
Four Tips For Going Into Business With Your Life Partner (Forbes)
02/05/2020
Fixing The Racial Wealth Gap? (Forbes)
02/04/2020
Who Gets The Frozen Embryos? (Forbes)
01/26/2020
Why Women Lose Custody (Forbes)
01/22/2020
Getting The Most Out Of Telework (Forbes)
01/16/2020
Tips For Women – And Men – Who Want To Be Influencers (Forbes)
01/12/2020
What Women – And Men – Need To Know To Do Their Best Negotiating (Forbes)
01/08/2020
The Carole Ghosn Story: Legal Lessons Of A Wife’s Situation (Forbes)

AT UVA LAW

Accolades: Professor Wins Scribes Book Award
Getting Ready for the 100-Year Life
Professor Naomi Cahn Breaks Down Overruling of Roe v. Wade
Is It Supply Chain Issues or Did I Get Scammed?
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do — Especially Among the Unmarried. Professor’s Work May Help.
New Courses This Fall Offer Different Looks at the Law
Conservatorships Like Britney Spears’ Can Lead to Abuse, Argues Naomi Cahn
Sizing Up the Supreme Court Term
Faculty Q&A: Britney Spears, Conservatorships and What the Law Says
UVA Law Adds 17 High-Profile Academics. Twitter Hollers Back.
‘Common Law’ S3 E3: Uncoupling the Benefits of Marriage
‘Common Law’ Explores Impact of Tying Benefits to Marriage
How Politics Drive Personal Relationships — And Where We Live
Naomi Cahn Directs Family Law Center
Recounts Probably Won’t Make a Difference in the Presidential Election, But Other Issues Might
Pandemic’s Impact on Women Highlights Opportunities for Change, Professor Says
Cahn To Direct New Family Law Center at UVA
Cahn Named to 2 New Professorships
Family Law Expert Naomi Cahn To Join Faculty
‘Common Law’ S3 E3: Uncoupling the Benefits of Marriage

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