"In Defense of the Sovereign Family"

The current issue of First Things includes a wonderful essay by Jack Coons, called "In Defense of the Sovereign Family."  Unfortunately, the text is not yet available to non-subscribers.  It would be hard to do justice to the essay in just a short blog post, but . . . Coons takes on the notion that "government alone is where law can be found", and insists that families (like churches, Native American tribes, and some other associations) really do generate law.  Coons' essay is a challenge to the "monopolist, who believes that no one can create authentic law beyond the reach of the state and believes that the state provides parents what legal authority they have."  Be sure to check it out.