Divorce Reform at the Turn of the Millennium: Certainties and Possibilities

Abstract:     
This essay documents the status of, reasons for, and prospects for success of the divorce reform movement at the end of 1999. It presents evidence of widespread dissatisfaction with current no-fault divorce laws and reviews recent legislative successes of the divorce reform movement. Some of the most influential arguments for divorce reform are summarized, and some of the major criticisms of divorce reform are reviewed. Nonetheless, divorce reforms of some sort are very likely to be enacted, though strong opposition from the bench and bar is likely and may undermine or co-opt the reform movement. Two concluding observations are made about the significance and possibilities of the divorce reform movement.

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