Family Law

A person who receives TANF payments on behalf of a beneficiary incapable of managing the funds.

Lawsuit, suit or action being resolved through the court system.

Law composed of previous written decisions of appellate courts.

A number assigned by the court to identify your specific case. The case number in domestic relations is usually preceded by one or two letters such as: D, DO, or DR.

An entity required by all reciprocating jurisdictions to receive, log and distribute interstate cases.

A copy of a paper which has been signed and certified as a true copy by the officer in whose custody the original is entrusted.

Private offices of a judge or justice.

Presiding justice of the Arizona Supreme Court.

An amount of money that a parent must give to another parent to help with the living, medical and educational expenses of a child.

Division of Child Support Services (DCSS)

Standards adopted by the Arizona Supreme Court to guide parents and the courts when determining child support obligations.

A written order from the court that states: which parent must pay child support; which parent will receive child support; the amount of child support payment; how often the payment must be made.

A document, used to enter financial information and calculate the amount of child support according to the Child Support Guidelines.

A non-criminal case concerning the claim of one individual or entity against another.

Area of law that deals with disputes between individuals, not involving crimes.

Legal and factual grounds for a court to grant relief.

A central location that receives, disburses and monitors IV-D support payments.

An appointed or elected person who is in charge of keeping records, accounts and managing regular activities for a court.

Rules implementing federal laws.

In IV-D, these rules are contained in 45 CFR Part 300-399.

Legal paper telling the court and the defendant what the claims of the plaintiff are. This document is filed with the court at the beginning of a case.