NCJ Number
102623
Date Published
1985
Length
116 pages
Annotation
To determine the need for and feasibility of a proposed jurisdiction change that would expand dissolution jurisdiction to the civil division of the Marion County, (Ind.,) municipal courts, interviews were conducted with judges and other court personnel.
Abstract
In general, superior court judges believed that some type of a domestic relations (DR) division might prove efficient in reducing increasing DR caseloads in the circuit and superior courts. Municipal court judges opposed the proposal of enlarging their jurisdiction to include dissolution matters and suggested the creation of a family law division to provide relief from growing DR casework. Small claims courts judges suggested that two superior courts be designated as family courts. Both the prosecutor and the city clerk opposed the expansion for logistical and other reasons, and the bar association's family law committee cited similar practical problems. Of alternatives to the proposed change, the most feasible include: permit noncontested dissolution cases to be disposed of by affidavit, add one or more additional superior courts, designate one or more superior courts as civil, or create a separate DR court or division. Each of these alternatives requires no statutory change and should be considered locally. Tables detail court caseload and disposition data.