Dissolution of marriage is the legal process that terminates a marriage. Divorce and dissolution are often used interchangeably, but these terms have different legal meanings. Dissolution of marriage can be thought of as being similar to no-...
marriage
divorce
A divorce formally dissolves a legal marriage. While married couples do not possess a constitutional or legal right to divorce, states permit divorces because doing so serves public policy. To ensure that a particular divorce serves public...
divorce agreement
A divorce agreement is an agreement written for a divorcing couple that settles issues, such as how property will be divided, child custody, child support, child visitation, and alimony. The agreement can be entered into before or after the...
DOMA
The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was a federal law passed by the 104th United States Congress intended to define and protect the institution of marriage. This law specifically defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman which...
domestic partner adoption
Domestic partner adoption occurs when one partner in a domestic partnership adopts a child born to the other partner. Domestic partnerships are recognized relationships between two people who do not wish to be married or cannot be married,...
domestic partners
Domestic partners refers to two persons engaged in a commitment (generally, a civil union) that is legally equivalent to marriage. Individuals generally decide to enter domestic partnership because they wish to avoid marriage or because they...
domestic relations
Domestic relations is a reference to the field of family law, which governs relations within a family or household. In the past, these relations were limited to those between spouses, parents and children, and legal guardians and wards....
domestic violence
Domestic violence is an issue common to both criminal law and family law that tends to be statutorily defined.
For example:
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) states in Section 12291(a)(8) “[t]he term ‘domestic...dower
Dower is an antiquated term that referred to the way in which a widow would inherit property of her husband upon his passing intestate. Normally, the wife would receive a life estate of one-third to one-half the husband’s property. Curtesy...
dower and curtesy
Dower and curtesy are outdated terms that refer to the rights of a spouse to property of the other spouse when they pass. Until recently, the rights differed based on gender. Dower was the rights of the wife when the husband passed, and...