In the Media: “May December” and the Revival of Mary Kay Letourneau
By Isabel Ranney This year has been marred with what appears to be an increase in teachers facing allegations and charges for inappropriate conduct with their students. Particularly, female teachers having sexually inappropriate relationships with their students feels to be more prominent in the media. As recent as September of 2023, a former female high […]
Adoption, Visitation, and Undoing Sheets v. Mead
This article was initially published in the Arizona Attorney magazine on February 1, 2023. By Markus Risinger, Taylor Young, and Isabel Ranney When construing a statue, judges can be quick to shift responsibility to the legislative branch. Many litigators have heard from the bench that their argument is with the Legislature, not the Court. This […]
Racial Disparity in Arizona DCS Investigations Receives National Attention
By Woodnick Law, PLLC Conscious or unconscious, racial bias affects all aspects of life. The caseworkers and child welfare investigators (OCWIs) that make up the Department of Child Safety (DCS) are not immune from these biases. A recent article from ProPublica, which has received national attention, addresses how these biases have culminated in a disproportionate […]
Putting Maury Povich Out of Business: The Economics, Science, and Efficiency of Maternal Blood Testing
Originally published in the Spring 2022 AZ Family Law Newsletter. By Gregg Woodnick and Isabel Ranney Paternity drama has plagued humankind for years. There is lore amongst evolutionary biologists that babies look more like their fathers because maternity is clear, but paternity is in doubt. Perhaps this has no roots in truth, but it is […]
6 years post-Obergefell: Same-sex parenting rights in Arizona
By Claudia D. Work and Isabel Ranney Originally Published September 24, 2021 on OUTvoices Phoenix. The path to the landmark ruling of Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) was a long and arduous one, filled with decades of small victories and crushing losses, many of which went unrecognized. When same-sex marriage was finally deemed constitutional by the […]