Family Law

Covenant Marriage not yet dead in Mississippi Legislature

By Robert M. Kisselburgh, Esq.

Covenant Marriage re-introduced in new Senate amendment

During this legislative session, the idea of a new form of marriage, ?covenant marriage,? was introduced. In the ?covenant marriage,? the couple agrees to undergo premartial counseling before applying for a marriage license. O.K., not a bad idea so far. But here is the kicker. By entering into a ?covenant marriage,? you agree to modify your rights to get divorced.

As currently proposed, if you entered into a covenant marriage and then later chose to divorce, your complaint for divorce must be on file for one year before you can get divorced as opposed to the normal sixty-day waiting period. Further, during this one-year waiting period, you and your spouse are required to attend marriage counseling in an attempt to resurrect your marriage. Again, nothing wrong with marriage counseling as long as both parties believe there is a chance to make their marriage survive. The problem is forcing couples to undergo one-year of marriage counseling before they divorce.

Full post as published by Mississippi Family Law Blog on March 21, 2008 (boomark / email).