Family Law

The law places a high value on marriage and the family. That value is carried forward in defining marriage; setting conditions for the state to interfere with marriage; fixing the responsibilities of marriage and family; and detailing when a family may break up and setting ongoing responsibilities when that happens. But, there are limits to the law. For example, the religion of Luisa and Sam may require that they be married by a minister. It may also require that each make certain promises, one to the other. Whether Luisa and Sam do so, however, is a matter of conscience. The law will neither force them to have or stop them from having a religious wedding.