Family Law
Your rights in divorce, child custody, child support, domestic violence, and parental rights — federal baselines and state-specific rules explained in plain language.
Covered in this guide:
Divorce, custody, and alimony are set by your state — California rules look nothing like Texas or New York. Federal law provides the connective tissue. The PKPA (28 U.S.C. § 1738A) and the UCCJEA decide which state has custody jurisdiction. Title IV-D of the Social Security Act backs child support enforcement with wage garnishment, tax intercepts, and passport denial above $2,500 in arrears. The Violence Against Women Act funds DV services and forces every state to enforce out-of-state protective orders. The Hague Convention covers cross-border child abduction.
Key Federal Laws
Title IV-D, Social Security Act
42 U.S.C. §§ 651–669b
Child support enforcement
Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act (PKPA)
28 U.S.C. § 1738A
Interstate custody jurisdiction
Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
34 U.S.C. §§ 12291 et seq.
DV protections and immigration relief
International Child Abduction Remedies Act (ICARA)
22 U.S.C. §§ 9001–9011
Hague Convention implementation
Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA)
State law (49 states)
Custody jurisdiction
Federal Interstate DV Crimes
18 U.S.C. §§ 2261–2266
Interstate domestic violence
Child Custody Basics
When parents split, a court divides what the family did informally into two technical categories:Legal custody — who makes the big decisions about education, health care, and religion.Physical custody...
Divorce Process
Divorce in America took a generational shift in the 1970s. California passed the first no-fault divorce law in 1969 (signed by Ronald Reagan, of all people), and the rest of the country followed over...
Child Support Rights
Both parents owe their children financial support, married or not. When parents live apart, the non-custodial parent typically pays support to the custodial parent under a court order based on state g...
Domestic Violence Protections
The Violence Against Women Act passed in 1994 after years of grassroots advocacy and a series of tragedies that made obvious how badly the existing system was failing victims. Joe Biden — then a senat...
Parental Rights
Parents have a fundamental constitutional right to raise their children. The Supreme Court recognized it as a liberty interest under the 14th Amendment's Due Process Clause as early as Meyer v. Nebras...