In the fall of 2024, the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) mailed letters to parents who once had an open dependency and/or severance case.
Did you receive a letter? Visit the DCS letter page for more information.
Family Law
Glossaries
| Term | Main definition |
|---|---|
| Reciprocity | Denotes a relationship between states in which one extends the rights and privileges to citizens of another and vice versa. |
| Record on Appeal | Those papers, transcripts and exhibits form the trial court that are forwarded to the appellate court for review. |
| Recording a Judgment | The act of filing a certified copy of a judgment with a County Recorder in order to place a lien on any real property the judgment debtor may own in that county. Recording must be made in each county where the debtor may own property. |
| Referral | Cases sent to the IV-D agency by various public assistance agencies to facilitate the collection of child and/or medical support so the aid recipient may become self-sufficient. |
| Registration of an Order | A means of making an out-of-state child support order an Arizona order under procedures set forth in the Revised Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act. |
| Registry | A section of the Office of Child Support that accepts child support payments and pays them to the custodial parent. |
| Relief | The redress or assistance awarded to a plaintiff or petitioner by the court. |
| Remand | To send back; an appellate court may remand a case to the trial court for re-trial or other action. |
| Reopen | Reopening of a case permits the introduction of new evidence and to permit a new trial. |
| Request to Find | Request for written determination of facts by a judge after a trial. |
| Respondent | The person who answers a complaint in a civil case or a person against whom an appeal is brought. |
| Responding Jurisdiction | A county, district or state to which an interstate case is forwarded by the initiating jurisdiction for legal disposition. |
| Responding State | See: Responding Jurisdiction |
| Rest | A person is said to "rest" or "rest its case" when it has presented all of the evidence it intends to offer. |
| Retention | The electoral process by which voters decide whether judges appointed by the governor will continue to serve another term in their current judicial capacity. |
| Return of Service | A statement that a complaint or other document has been served on a person. |
| Reverse | Decision of an appellate court to change all or part of the decision of a lower court. |
| Review and Adjustment | In IV-D cases, a process to determine the appropriateness of the amount of support ordered to be paid and to change (modify) that amount to conform to state child support guidelines. |
| RURESA | Revised Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act: a statute adopted by most states to assist in the establishment and enforcement of support obligations when parents reside in different states. |