family court

noun

|Updated on: 16 Jun 2018

Definition of family court

: court of domestic relations

Recent Examples of family court from the Web

Emotions run high in family court, and even the most thoughtful decisions can leave families in emotional disarray.’’ Emons was the subject of a highly unusual lobbying campaign against her.

— christopher keating, courant.com, "Legislature Rejects Judge Jane Emons Without A Vote," 8 June 2018
Judge Susanna Pineda, who handled the case in family court, was provided a security detail outside her home after she was notified of her connection to the suspect.

— jacques billeaud and astrid galvan, chicagotribune.com, "Suspect in 6 Arizona killings targeted people connected to his divorce, police say," 5 June 2018
Court documents, filed in Middlesex family court amid a 2005 divorce proceeding, confirm an account that appeared in an article by the UK publication the Daily Mail.

— BostonGlobe.com, "The week in business," 2 June 2018
This eliminates the disconnect that sometimes occurs in regular family court between what a caseworker tells a parent to do and what a judge expects.

— naomi schaefer riley, WSJ, "Judicial Tough Love Helps Addicted Mothers Stay Clean," 25 May 2018
The couple’s kids are under the care of their grandparents until further decisions are made in family court, according to authorities.

— georgia slater, PEOPLE.com, "'I Can't Breathe, He Stabbed Me,' Says Dying Mom-of-3 Before Husband's Arrest for Murder," 31 May 2018
Court documents, filed in Middlesex family court amid a 2005 divorce proceeding, confirm an account that appeared in a weekend article by the U.K. publication the Daily Mail.

— andy rosen, BostonGlobe.com, "athenahealth CEO Jonathan Bush acknowledges 2005 domestic incidents," 30 May 2018
Regular family courts aren’t built to cope with the type or the volume of cases that now are coming before them.

— naomi schaefer riley, WSJ, "Judicial Tough Love Helps Addicted Mothers Stay Clean," 25 May 2018
Eastern Oregon foster parent Mary Collard says no one has more at stake in a family court decision than the foster child, so their lawyers’ advocacy is essential.

— hillary borrud, OregonLive.com, "In Oregon, lawyers for foster children don't even have to show up," 28 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'family court.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of family court

1917

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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Law Dictionary

family court

noun

legal Definition of family court

: a court that has jurisdiction and often advisory powers over domestic disputes involving the rights and duties of husband, wife, parent, or child especially in matters affecting the support, custody, and welfare of children — compare juvenile court