Susan Frelich Appleton

Susan Frelich Appleton is the Lemma Barkeloo & Phoebe Couzins Professor of Law at Washington University School of Law, a nationally recognized expert in family law and feminist legal theory whose research addresses reproductive justice, parentage, gender, sexualities, and public assistance for families. She has held significant administrative roles including vice dean (2013-14) and associate dean of faculty (1998-2003), and served as Washington University's first Ombuds (2010-12).

Her educational background includes:

• A.B. from Vassar College (1970)
• J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley (1973)

Professor Appleton's scholarship critically examines the intersection of law with social structures, focusing on reproductive justice, nontraditional families, and bureaucratic barriers in parentage establishment. Her work integrates historical analysis to challenge traditional doctrines, particularly regarding assisted reproductive technologies and the legal recognition of diverse family forms. She actively engages with gender and sexuality frameworks to expose systemic inequities in family law.

Analysis of her 2016-2023 publications reveals a pronounced shift toward interdisciplinary examination of reproductive rights post-Dobbs, with increasing attention to sexual agreements, federalism's impact on abortion access, and the role of pleasure in legal frameworks. Her research consistently bridges constitutional law, health policy, and feminist theory to address evolving family dynamics.

Her scientific awards and honors include:

• Inaugural award from the AALS Section on Family & Juvenile Law for outstanding contributions (2021)
• Dukeminier Award from the Williams Institute at UCLA (2018)
• Washington University Distinguished Faculty Award (1993)
• Triennial Alumni Distinguished Teaching Award (2004)
• Lemma Barkeloo and Phoebe Couzins Professorship (2000, inaugural recipient)
• Israel Treiman Faculty Fellowship (2012-2013)
• John S. Lehmann Research Professorship (2009-2010)
• MICDS Laurel Award (2004)

Professor Appleton has mentored law students through teaching and administrative roles, though specific advisees aren't listed. Her leadership in academic associations includes co-organizing the Annual Roundtables on Nonmarriage and the Law and advising American Law Institute projects such as the Model Penal Code: Sexual Assault and Children & the Law. She serves on the Guttmacher Institute and Planned Parenthood Great Rivers—MO boards, extending her impact beyond academia.