Susan Appleton is a nationally known expert in family law and feminist legal theory. Her research, scholarship and teaching address reproductive justice, parentage, gender, sexualities and public assistance for families.
Co-author of six editions of a family law casebook, Appleton most recently published a new edition of a casebook, “Families Under Construction: Parentage, Adoption and Assisted Reproduction”. She has published extensively on family law matters and feminist legal theory in law reviews and scholarly collections.
In 2021, she received the inaugural award for outstanding contributions and achievements in the field from the AALS Section on Family & Juvenile Law, and in 2018 she received a Dukeminier Award from UCLA’s Williams Institute, which recognizes the best publications on sexual orientation and gender identity law.
An active member of the American Law Institute (ALI), she held the position of Secretary of the Institute (2004-13), has served on its Council (since 1994), and participates as an Adviser on several ALI projects, including the revision of the Model Penal Code’s provisions on sexual assault and the Restatement of the Law of Children and the Law.
