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 |
|---|---|
| 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. |
| Satisfaction of Judgment | A document indicating a judgment has been paid or otherwise is no longer due, required to be filed with the clerk of each court where the judgment has been docketed and also recorded in the office of each county recorder where the judgment has been recorded. |
| Sentence | Punishment set by the court or jury within the range of punishments authorized by statute. |
| Separation Agreement | A document that may determine parental rights and responsibilities, parent/child contact and support without granting a divorce. |
| Service | The formal delivery of a petition, notice, or other papers to someone in a legal action as noted by court rule. |
| Settlement | An agreement that is reached by the opposing individuals making it unnecessary for the court to resolve the controversy. |
| Sheriff's Fee | The amount charged by the sheriff for serving a document to a person. |
| Simplified Application of the Guidelines | The simplified application of the guidelines is the amount located in the schedule based upon the gross monthly income of the parent claiming this adjustment, and number of children subject to this adjustment. |
| Small Claims Court | Special division court at each justice court to legally resolve claims that do not exceed $3,500. The proceedings are less formal than in other types of courts and individuals usually represent themselves. |
| Sole Legal Decision Making | Means one parent has the legal right and responsibility to make major decisions for a child. |
| Spousal Maintenance | Support for a spouse or former spouse ordered by the court; this arrangement may be temporary or permanent. In a IV-D case this can be enforced only when there is an accompanying child support order. Also known as Alimony. |