54th Judicial Circuit Court

Family Division

The Family Division of the Circuit Court consists of the Juvenile Division, Referee and Friend of the Court Office. The Family Division has exclusive jurisdiction over all family matters such as divorce, custody, parenting time, support, paternity, adoptions, name changes, juvenile proceedings, emancipation of minors, parental consent, and personal protection proceedings. The Family Division also has ancillary jurisdiction over cases involving guardianships and conservatorships and proceedings involving the mentally ill or developmentally disabled.

The legislature created a Family Division in Circuit Court effective January 1, 1998. The Family Division handles divorces and ancillary matters, custody, parenting time, paternity (FOC), juvenile offenses (Juvenile Division), and abuse and neglect. It also handles emancipation of minors, personal protection orders, name changes, adoptions, parental consent waivers, guardianships (ancillary), and mental health commitments (ancillary).