Legal Definitions - Uniform Divorce Recognition Act

The Uniform Divorce Recognition Act (UDRA) is a model code that was adopted by some states in 1947. It deals with issues related to full-faith-and-credit that arise in divorces.

Full-faith-and-credit refers to the legal principle that requires courts in one state to recognize and enforce the judgments of courts in other states. In the context of divorce, this means that if a couple gets divorced in one state, their divorce should be recognized and enforced in other states as well.

The UDRA provides guidelines for how courts in different states should recognize and enforce divorce judgments. For example, it requires courts to recognize a divorce judgment if both parties had notice of the divorce proceedings and had an opportunity to be heard.

Here is an example of how the UDRA works in practice:

John and Jane get divorced in California. John moves to New York and tries to get custody of their children. Jane argues that the California divorce judgment should be recognized and enforced in New York under the UDRA. The New York court agrees and gives full faith and credit to the California divorce judgment, meaning that John cannot challenge the custody arrangement that was established in California.