Exam 3 Flashcards
(21 cards)
solemnization ceremonies
formal, public rituals, particularly those associated with marriage, where legal or religious requirements are met to formally declare or commemorate an event.
common law marriage
A legally recognized marriage between two people who have not purchased a marriage license or had their marriage solemnized by a ceremony
factors of common law marriage
prohibition, presentation as a married couple, of age, established relationship as spouses
agency adoptions
Conducted by professional adoption, agencies who interview and closely scrutinized prospective adoptive parents to ensure proper placement
independent adoptions
Conducted by the birth parents themselves who set their own standards for adoption
closed adoption
Little to no contact between birth and adoptive families and a high degree of privacy
open adoption
Birth and adoptive families are in contact
voluntary adoption
birth parents are giving up their rights and this process is relatively straightforward
involuntary adoption
Courts have the power to terminate parental rights against the will of the birth parent
age of majority
when a minor legally becomes an adult
sole legal custody
One parent has the sole right to make decisions about a child and in cases of divorce. This parent gets to decide what happens about child rearing decisions.
joint custody
Both parents share the responsibility and rights to make major decisions about their child’s life, and this is preferred by the courts
best interest of the child
Applied by the courts to settle important decisions
divorce
Technically, the formal dissolution of the marriage only
annulment
The official declaration that no legal marriage ever existed, and common justifications include bigamy, incest, incompetence, fraud, coercion, and parties are under age
no-fault divorce
Allows the marriage to end without either spouse having to prove the other is at fault or committed any wrongdoing
legal separation/limited divorce
an incomplete divorce usually intended to be temporary where parties must have actually physically separated in the certain requirements, such as non-support adultery, desertion, and cruelty. parties have privacy rights from each other, but are not free to remarry in may reconcile or pursue a full divorce.
separation agreement
dictates how they think property should be divided and even proposed child custody arrangements
