Divorce

Divorce is the legal dissolution of a marriage, ending the spouses’ marital status and resolving related matters such as property, support, and parenting.

Divorce petition: A formal request asking a court to dissolve a marriage. It commonly begins the court process that can lead to a divorce decree.
Marriage: A legally recognized union that creates rights and duties between spouses. Divorce ends the legal status and obligations created by marriage.
Annulment: A legal judgment that a marriage is invalid or voidable under specified grounds. Unlike divorce, it treats the marriage’s legal validity as the central question.
Divorce rate: A statistical measure of divorces in a population over a specified period. It tracks how frequently marriages end across populations and time.
Divorce decree: A court order that legally ends a marriage and may impose related obligations. It records the court’s final dissolution and the terms it has ordered.
Legal separation: A legal arrangement that allows spouses to live apart while remaining married. It can resolve practical issues without dissolving the marriage itself.
Legal dissolution of domestic partnership: The legal termination of a registered domestic partnership where such a status exists. It ends a different legal relationship, even when procedures resemble divorce.
Remarriage: Marriage entered into after a previous marriage has ended. Divorce can change later partnership and household patterns through remarriage.
Marital property: Property classified by law as belonging to one or both spouses during marriage. Its classification determines which assets may be divided in a divorce.
Family law: The body of law governing family relationships, including marriage, parenting, and support. Divorce is one of the legal matters governed by this field.

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