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 |
|---|---|
| Preliminary Hearing | Court proceeding used to determine whether there is enough evidence against a person charged with a felony to proceed to trial. |
| Presiding Judge | See Judge in this Glossary. |
| Presumed Father | A presumed father is a person the law has states is legal father of a child because of his legal relationship to the mother during the pregnancy. There are several ways a man can be considered a presumed father, the most common of which is being married to the mother. |
| Presumptive Termination Date | Upon entry of an initial or modified child support order, the court shall, or in any subsequent action relating to the child support order, the court may, establish a presumptive termination date (PTD) for the termination of current child support obligation. The presumptive termination date shall be the last day of the month of the 18th birthday of the youngest child included in the order unless the court finds that it is projected that the youngest child will not complete high school by age 18. In that event, the presumptive termination date shall be the last day of the month of the anticipated graduation date or age 19, whichever occurs first. |
| Pro Bono Publico | "For the public good." When a lawyer takes a legal case without being paid, and without expecting payment. |
| Pro Per | A Latin phrase meaning, "For oneself." A person appearing without benefit of an attorney, appearing for him/herself in court. |
| Pro Tem | A person appointed as a judicial officer on a temporary basis. |
| Probable Cause | Reasonable cause; there is more evidence for an argument than against it. |
| Probation | A conditional suspension of the sentence given by a court in a criminal case. If the terms of probation are violated, probation may be revoked and the sentence carried out. |
| Prosecutor | Attorney representing the citizens of a particular community or the state in a criminal case. This may be the city attorney, county attorney or attorney general. |
| Putative Father | A person who has been named as the father of a child born out of wedlock, but for whom paternity has not yet been established. |
| 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. |