annulment
judicial dissolution of marriage on the ground that valid marriage did not take place
best interests of the child test
the doctrine under which custody of a child is awarded to the parent who is better able to foster the child’s best interests
civil unions
a legally sanctioned same-sex relationship carrying all of the rights and duties of marriage
common law marriages
marriages recognized at common law simply on the basis of cohabitation
community property
property acquired by a husband and wife during their marriage, other than property acquired by gift or inheritance, in a state that has community property laws
dissolution of a marriage
legal termination of a marriage through divorce or annulment
domestic partnership
an agreement between two persons of the same sex to live and cohabit together
irretrievably broken
unable to be repaired (as in marriage)
joint custody
shared responsibility of divorced parents concerning control and supervision of children
legal separation
an agreement whereby parties agree to live separate or apart from one another OR a court order providing for spouses to live separate from one another, often making provisions for support of a spouse and children but not dissolving the marriage
marital property
property acquired by spouses, other than by gift or inheritance, during their marriage
marriage
a special contractual relationship formed according to law between a man and a woman that results in the regulation of the social and economic status of the parties by law
no-fault dissolution of marriage
a court judgment dissolving a marriage without the necessity of one spouse’s proving the other spouse to be at fault in the marriage
paternity
biological fatherhood
prenuptial agreements
contracts entered into by a man and woman before their marriage settling their property rights upon death of one party or in the event of divorce
putative father
a man who is regarded to the the father of a child although paternity has not been established
residence requirements
legal requirements that parties have resided in a jurisdiction for a minimum period of time before voting, running for office, marrying or receiving certain benefits to which residents are entitled
same-sex marriages
marriages between persons of the same sex
separate maintenance
an allowance that a court orders paid to a wife who is living apart from her husband in order to provide for the wife and the parties’ children
surrogate
one who acts in the place of another
termination of parental rights
a court judgment declaring an end to a natural parent’s rights over his or her child
miscegenation
Marriage between separate races, at one point prohibited by Arizona law
covenant marriages
marriages recognized by Arizona in which the couples agree to obtain premarital counseling and accept more limited grounds for divorce
