court of domestic relations

American  

noun

Law.

1. a court, usually with a limited jurisdiction, that handles legal cases involving a family, especially controversies between parent and child or between the marriage partners.

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Etymology

Origin of court of domestic relations

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Court of Domestic Relations.—One of the most significant improvements that has taken place is the establishment of a court of domestic relations, which already exists in several cities, and has made an enviable record.

From Project Gutenberg

The report of a court of domestic relations gives such an analysis of over 1,500 cases, listing 25 causes, and carefully calculating the percentage of cases due to each.

From Project Gutenberg

He was young and distinguished-looking, which probably accounted for the fact that his office had become a sort of fashionable court of domestic relations.

From Project Gutenberg

The wreckage of these marriages is already drifting in increasing amount to the courts of domestic relations.

From Project Gutenberg

It should be said that, after a separation, claims for non-payment of alimony cannot, in many states, be pressed in a court of domestic relations but must go to a civil court.

From Project Gutenberg