Part 1 of this article describes and analyzes American child custody law and the underlying judicial standards used to resolve custody disputes; part 2 discusses the basic indeterminancy of present legal standards; and part 3 explores the possibility of developing less discretionary legal standards for the judicial functions of child protection and private dispute settlement. Available from Law and Contemporary Problems, Duke Station, Durham, North Carolina 27706, $16.00 annual subscription. (Author/JG)