A guardian ad litem (GAL) is a person appointed by a court to look after and protect the interests of someone who is unable to take care of themselves, typically a minor or someone who is determined to be legally incompetent. They are...
family law
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In family law, this term refers to two parties (ie. two people) living together with the understanding that there is no legal marital relationship.
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Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey is the Supreme Court case that had reaffirmed the decision of Roe v. Wade (1973) prohibiting states from disallowing abortion prior to viability. However, at the time, the Court...
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Polygamy is the practice of having more than one spouse at the same time. Polygamy as a crime originated in the common law, and it is now outlawed in every state. In the United States, polygamy was declared unlawful through the passing of...
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The formal requirement of the performance of a marriage ceremony and the professional class that may marry a couple. Who may perform such a ceremony varies depending on the particular laws of the state. For example, in one state, a mayor, magistrate,...
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A uniform act that, as of September 11, 2009, has been adopted by every state except Massachusetts and Vermont and is the vehicle through which foreign child custody judgments are enforced. The act is designed to prevent jurisdictional forum shopping...
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The right of a non-custodial parent who is a party to a divorce or separation to visit with their children. In such cases, some courts look to the best interests of the child. Parents have due process rights to determine visitation by non-parents. In...
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Court order allowing visitation privileges for a parent or other relative of a child.
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A marriage that was for some reason never valid from the start and cannot be made valid. Common reasons for a court to find a marriage void ab initio are that the marriage is incestuous or polygamous.
Compare with voidable marriage.
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A marriage that is valid until declared invalid. The grounds for invalidation of marriage vary depending on state. Common grounds for voiding a marriage include that one of the parties is below the age of consent, a party was incapable of consenting...