Book excerpt: In print and online, this new casebook considers the full range of contemporary domestic relationships, including families based on marriage and families formed through nonmarital cohabitation. The book presents the framework of constitutional and federal law that shapes family law at the state level, and materials to help students master the practical dimensions of family law, including the mechanics of determining marriage validity, establishing parentage, and working with uniform jurisdictional statutes. Text boxes and links to online resources pose critical thinking questions and direct students to international and comparative dimensions of the subject, important ethical questions, and further reading.