Kevin Noble Maillard

In the United States, when an unmarried man has a baby, his partner can give it up without his consent—unless he happens to know about an obscure system called the responsible father registry.

In 33 states, unmarried men can request to be notified if children they fathered—knowingly or not—are put up for adoption. But the system has serious flaws.

The New York mayor-elect's family—both fascinatingly ordinary and shockingly modern—proved to be one his greatest strengths.

On a late-night bike ride, a law professor finds that neither his polite demeanor nor academic pedigree seems to outweigh the color of his skin.