LAURA T KESSLER portrait
  • S.J. Quinney Endowed Chair, College Of Law
  • Professor, College Of Law
  • Professor, College Of Law - Dean

Publications

Research Statement

My research focuses on the legal regulation of families and sex in various contexts. For example, my scholarship has examined LGBTQ family rights, sex discrimination in the law of marriage and divorce, polygamy and religious freedom, multi-parent families, workplace pregnancy discrimination, sexual misconduct in the military, access to contraception, and sterilization abuse.  In pursuing my research, I draw on several methodologies, integrating legal analysis and social science methods such as survey research, structured interviews, content analysis, and systematic analysis of sources found in archives. 

Research Keywords

  • Women, work ,social capital, poverty
  • Women and Minorities Labor Market
  • Reproductive Rights
  • Middle Eastern Law
  • Israel
  • Gender Studies/Feminist Theory
  • Family Law
  • Employment Discrimination
  • Civil or Human Rights
  • Feminist Jurisprudence
  • Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Class
  • Work
  • Law and Society
  • Social Welfare
  • Women in Academia

Presentations

  • Miscarriage of Justice: Early Pregnancy Loss and the Limits of U.S. Employment Law, Law and Society Annual Meeting, Lisbon, Portugal (July 2022). Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 07/2022.
  • Achieving Equality Without A Constitution: Lessons From Israel for Queer Family Law, book launch of QUEER AND RELIGIOUS ALLIANCES IN FAMILY LAW POLITICS AND BEYOND (Nausica Palazzo & Jeffrey A. Redding eds., 2022), NOVA School of Law, Lisbon, Portugal (July 2022). Panel, Presented, 07/2022.
  • Miscarriage of Justice: Early Pregnancy Loss and the Limits of U.S. Employment Law, Family Law Scholars and Teachers Conference, Temple University Beasley School of Law (June 2022). Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 06/22/2022.
  • Co-chair and Discussant, Closing Plenary on Pedagogy / Teaching Nonmarriage in the Classroom and Curriculum, Third Annual Nonmarriage Roundtable, Washington University School of Law, St. Louis, MO (online). Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 10/01/2021.
  • Families at the Margins of Religious and Secular Law, Family Law Scholars and Teachers Conference (online) (June 2021). Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 06/2021.
  • Miscarriage of Justice: Early Pregnancy Loss and the Limits of U.S. Employment Law, Law and Society Association, Law and Society Association, Chicago, Illinois (online). Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 05/27/2021.
  • The Past and Present of Forced Sterilization, Washington University in St. Louis School of Law (online) (Mar. 2021). Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 03/2021.
  • Gender, Geopolitics, and Family Law in Israel, Online Workshop, “The Potential of Constructive Alliances Between Religious and Queer Groups,” Fondazione Bruno Kessler & University of Trento, Italy (online) (Sept. 2020). Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 09/18/2020.
  • Gender, Geopolitics, and Family Law in Israel, Panel on Human Rights in an Unequal World: Autonomy, Status and Other Stories, Law and Society Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado (online) (June 2020). Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 06/2020.
  • Gender, Geopolitics, and Family Law in Israel, 2020 Virtual Family Law Scholars and Teachers Conference (June 2020). Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 06/2020.
  • Reynolds v. United States Revisited, Roundtable on FEMINIST JUDGMENTS ON REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE AND FAMILY LAW (Rachel Rebouche ed.), Law and Society Association Annual Meeting (online). Panel, Presented, 05/31/2020.
  • An Intellectual History of American Family Law, Emory L. School, Workshop on The Legacy of Martha Fineman’s The Neutered Mother at 25 Years, Atlanta, GA (Mar. 2020). Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 03/07/2020.
  • Chair and Discussant, Panel on Sexual Harassers and Accountability, Law and Society Association Annual Meeting (online). Panel, Presented, 06/01/2019.
  • An Intellectual History of American Family Law, Faculty Workshop, The Haim Striks Law School, College of Management and Academic Studies, Rishon Le Zion, Israel. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 05/21/2019.
  • Employment Discrimination and the Domino Effect, Faculty Workshop, Haifa University, Haifa, Israel. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 02/27/2019.
  • An Intellectual History of American Family Law, Panel on “Evolving Conceptions of Family Law," Israel Law and Society Association, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 01/20/2019.
  • The Gendered Economics of Shared Parenting, Workshop on “The Implication of Joint Parenthood,” Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 12/11/2018.
  • An Intellectual History of American Family Law: The Stories that Family Law Casebooks Tell, Law and Society Association Annual Meeting, Toronto, Canada. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 06/07/2018.
  • Miscarriage of Justice: Early Pregnancy Loss and the Limits of U.S. Employment Discrimination Law, Law and Society Association Collaborative Research Network on Labor and Employment Law, Mexico City, Mexico. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 06/20/2017.
  • Retheorizing Employment Discrimination Doctrine: The Case of Workers with Care Responsibilities, Interdisciplinary Center, Radzyner Law School, “Families in Law, Setting New Agendas” Workshop, Herzliya, Israel. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 12/14/2015.
  • A Holistic Approach to Addressing Worker Inequality, Emory Law School, Workshop on Vulnerability at the Intersection of the Changing Firm and the Changing Family, Atlanta, Georgia. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 10/16/2015.
  • Breaking Down Doctrinal Walls in Employment Discrimination Law, University of California, Davis School of Law, Symposium on Poverty, Precarity, and Work (by invitation of Angela Harris). Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 11/15/2014.
  • Toward a Dynamic Understanding of Employment Discrimination, Tulane University Law School, Symposium on the Future of Law & Inequality, New Orleans, Louisiana (plenary speaker). Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 11/07/2014.
  • Toward a Dynamic Understanding of Employment Discrimination: The Case of Workers with Caregiver Responsibilities, Washington University in St. Louis, Workshop on Work, Family, and Public Policy, St. Louis, Missouri (by invitation of Robert Pollak, Hernreich Distinguished Professor of Economics, Olin Business School). Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 10/20/2014.
  • Title VII and Me, University of Denver, Sturm College of Law, Revisiting Sex: Gender & Sex Discrimination Fifty Years After the Civil Rights, Denver University, Sturm College of Law, Denver, Colorado . Presentation, Presented, 01/2014.
  • Family Law and Gender Studies Scholarship Retrospective, Centennial Celebration Symposium, Improving the Law, Past, Present, and Future: A Century and Counting of Engaged Scholarship, University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law. Presentation, Presented, 09/2013.
  • Material Girls: Feminist-Materialist Approaches to Work and Family Conflict, Law and Society Association Annual Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts. Presentation, Presented, 05/2013.
  • Negotiating Identities at Work(with Suzanne Kim, Rutgers-Newark Law School and Elizabeth Hoffman, Purdue University Dept. of Sociology), Emory Law School, Symposium on Work and Vulnerability, Atlanta, Georgia. Presentation, Presented, 04/2013.
  • The Story of Stump v. Sparkman: Writing Race and Class out of Reproductive Choice in America, 14th Annual Association for the Study of Law, Culture, and the Humanities Conference, UNLV Law School (Mar. 2011). Presentation, Presented, 03/2011.
  • Where is the State in Work-Family?, International Society of Family Law Conference, When Worlds Collide: Tensions in Family Law, UMKC School of Law, Kansas City, Missouri (June 2010). Presentation, Presented, 06/2010.
  • Where is the State in Work-Family?, University of Denver Sturm College of Law, Motherhood Conference, Panel on Reconstructing Superwoman: Care and Market Work from a Non-Binary Perspective, Denver, Colorado (March 2010). Presentation, Presented, 03/2010.
  • Neofeminism and Family Law, Workshop on Neofeminism, Third Annual Feminist Legal Theory Conference, University of Baltimore School of Law (Mar. 2010). Presentation, Presented, 03/2010.
  • Resuscitating Economic Harm in Discrimination Theory, LatCrit XIV Symposium, Panel on Reconnecting Political and Civil Rights with Economic Justice, Washington College of Law, American University (Oct. 2009). Presentation, Presented, 10/2009.
  • New Frontiers in Family Law, Panel on Legalities of Sexualities, Law and Society Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado (May 2009). Presentation, Presented, 05/2009.
  • New Frontiers in Family Law, Second Annual Feminist Legal Theory Conference, Panel on Applying Feminist Legal Theory to Family Law, University of Baltimore School of Law (Mar. 2009). Presentation, Presented, 03/2009.
  • New Frontiers in Family Law, Feminism and Legal Theory Project 25th Anniversary Celebration, Emory Law School (Nov. 2008). Presentation, Presented, 11/2008.
  • The Politics of Care, Symposium, Working from the World Up: Equality's Future, University of Wisconsin Law School (Mar. 2008). Presentation, Presented, 03/2008.
  • Co-Organizer (with Martha Ertman), New Frontiers in Family Law, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law (Feb. 2008). Presentation, Presented, 02/2008.
  • Organizer and Chair, Gender & Class: Voices from the Collective, Association of American Law Schools, Women in Legal Education Section, New York, NY (Jan. 2008). Program available at: http://www.law.utah.edu/wp-content/uploads/GenderandClass.pdf. Presentation, Presented, 01/2008.
  • Community Parenting, Emory Law School (Nov. 2007). Presentation, Presented, 11/2007.
  • Transgressive Caregivers: The Case for Legalizing Multiple Parenthood, Legal Theory Workshop, University of Maryland School of Law (Sept. 2007). Presentation, Presented, 09/2007.
  • Discussant, Panel on Cultural and Legal Cliteracy, Law & Society Association Annual Meeting, Berlin, Germany (July 2007). Panel, Presented, 07/2007.
  • Chair, Atypical Workers in a Different Key: Young, Old, Female, and the Law of Work, Law & Society Association Annual Meeting, Berlin, Germany (July 2007). Presentation, Presented, 07/2007.
  • Organizer, Presenter, and Chair, Children in the Post-Nuclear Family, 30th International Congress on Law and Mental Health, University of Padua, Italy (June 2007). Presentation, Presented, 06/2007.
  • Resuscitating Economic Harm in Discrimination Theory, Feminism and Legal Theory Project, Workshop on Understanding Class and Caste within a World of Global Inequalities, Emory Law School (May 2007). Presentation, Presented, 05/2007.
  • Resuscitating Economic Harm in Discrimination Theory, ClassCrits Workshop II, Buffalo Law School (May 2007). Presentation, Presented, 05/2007.
  • How a Focus on Class Can Build On and Add to Feminist Legal Theory Projects, Taking an Intersectional Approach, ClassCrits Workshop I, Buffalo Law School (Jan. 2007). Presentation, Presented, 01/2007.
  • Paid Family Leave in American Law Schools: Preliminary Findings and Open Questions, Keynote Address, Association of American Law Schools Annual Meeting, Section on Women in Legal Education Breakfast, Washington, D.C. (Jan. 2007). Presentation, Presented, 01/2007.
  • Chair, Roundtable-Building New Foundations for Worker Rights: Brainstorming a Strategy to Rebuild Worker Rights, Law and Society Annual Meeting, Baltimore, Maryland (July 2006). Panel, Presented, 07/2006.
  • Chair and Discussant, Building New Foundations for Worker Rights: Constructing Law, Law and Society Annual Meeting, Baltimore, Maryland (July 2006). Panel, Presented, 07/2006.
  • The Transformative Potential of Multiple Parenting, by invitation of the Washington University Journal of Law & Policy at Law and Society Annual Meeting, Following Marriage Panel, Baltimore, Maryland (July 2006). Presentation, Presented, 07/2006.
  • Care as Politics, Association for Research on Mothering, Caregiving and Carework: Theory and Practice Conference, York University, Toronto, Canada (May 2006). Presentation, Presented, 05/2006.
  • Keeping Discrimination Theory Front and Center in the Discourse over Work and Family Conflict, Symposium, Balancing Career and Family: A Work/Life Symposium, Pepperdine Law School (Apr. 2006). Presentation, Presented, 04/2006.
  • Co-Organizer, Moderator, and Discussant, Decisions and Families Conference, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law (Sept. 2005). Panel, Presented, 09/2005.
  • Paid Family Leave in American Law Schools: Preliminary Findings and Open Questions, Panel on New Data and Research on the Workplace, Law and Society Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, Nevada (June 2005) . Presentation, Presented, 06/2005.
  • Transgressive Caregiving, Feminism and Legal Theory Project, Workshop on Feminist and Queer Legal Theory: Convergences and Departures, Emory Law School (Apr. 2005) . Presentation, Presented, 04/2005.
  • Caught Between the Waves: Navigating the Post-Second Wave Pre-Postfeminist Position, Panel on Coming of Age in the 1990s, Feminism and Legal Theory Project 20th Summer Celebration, University of Wisconsin Law School (June 2003). Presentation, Presented, 06/2003.
  • Member, Cognitive Bias Working Group, Program on Gender, Work, and Family, American University, Washington College of Law (2002-2003). Panel, Presented, 01/2003.
  • Transgressive Caregiving, Conference, Subversive Legacies: Constructing the Future, University of Texas Law School (Nov. 2002) . Presentation, Presented, 11/2002.
  • Work-Family Conflict in the United States: Legal Developments, Challenges, and Open Questions, XII International Congress on Family Law, Havana, Cuba (Sept. 2002). Presentation, Presented, 09/2002.
  • Organizer, Presenter, and Chair, Gender, Work, and Caretaking, Law and Society Association Annual Meeting, Vancouver, Canada (May 2002). Panel, Presented, 05/2002.
  • Wage Replacement for Workers Taking Family Leave: Exploring Unemployment Insurance as a Solution, 2001-2002 Downtown CLE Series, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law (Apr. 2002) . Presentation, Presented, 04/2002.

Grants, Contracts & Research Gifts

  • Family Equality in Plural Legal Systems: Achieving Equality Rights in Marriage and Divorce in Israel and the United States. PI: Laura Kessler. United States - Israel Education Foundation (Fulbright Award), 09/01/2018 - 12/31/2018. Total project budget to date: $0.00

Geographical Regions of Interest

  • Israel
  • United States of America