An Act to establish a domestic-relations branch in the Municipal Court for the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.
PL 84-486 (S.1289), enacted 04/11/1956

70 
S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 486-APR. 11, 1956 
111 
59 Stat. 1219. 
Report to Conr 
gresB. 
Definitions. 
provisions of the Colorado Kiver Compact, the Upper Colorado River 
Basin Compact, the Boulder Canyon Project Act, the Boulder Canyon 
" |tatl w^s?; 54 
Project Adjustment Act, and the Treaty with the United Mexican ^*43*usc*6i7 note. 
States, in the storage and release of water from reservoirs in the 6i»o 
Colorado River Basin. 
In the event of the failure of the Secretary 
of the Interior to so comply, any State of the Colorado River Basin 
may maintain an action in the Supreme Court of the United States 
to enforce the provisions of this section, and consent is given to the 
joinder of the United States as a party in such suit or suits, as a 
defendant or otherwise. 
SEC. 15. The Secretary of the Interior is directed to continue studies 
and to make a report to the Congress and to the States of the Colorado 
River Basin on the quality of water of the Colorado River. 
SEC. 16. As used in this Act— 
The terms "Colorado River Basin", "Colorado River Compact", 
"Colorado River System", "Lee Ferry", "States of the Upper Divi-
sion", "Upper Basin", and "domestic use" shall have the meaning 
ascribed to them in article I I of the Upper Colorado River Basin 
Compact; 
The term "States of the Upper Colorado River Basin'" shall mean 
the States of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming; 
The term "Upper Colorado River Basin" shall have the same mean-
ing as the term "Upper Basin"; 
The term "Upper Colorado River Basin Compact" shall mean that 
certain compact executed on October 11,1948 by commissioners repre-
senting the States of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and 
Wyoming, and consented to by the Congress of the United States of 
America by Act of April 6,1949 (63 Stat. 31) ; 
The term "Rio Grande Compact" shall mean that certain compact 
executed on March 18, 1938, by commissioners representing the States 
of Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas and consented to by the Congress 
of the United States of America by Act of May 31,1939 (53 Stat. 785) ; 
The term "Treaty with the United IVIexican States" shall mean that 
certain treaty between the Ignited States of America and the United 
Mexican States, signed at Washington, District of Columbia, February 
3, 1944, relating to the utilization of the waters of the Colorado River 
59 stat. 1219. 
and other rivers, as amended and supplemented by the protocol dated 
November 14, 1944, and the understandings recited in the Senate 
resolution of April 18, 1945, advising and consenting to ratification 
thereof. 
Approved April 11, 1956. 
Public Law 486 
CHAPTER 204 
AN ACT 
April 11, 1956 
To establish a Domestic Relations Branch in the Municipal Court for the 
[S. 1289] 
District of Columbia, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and^ House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ 
DOMESTIC RELATIONS BRANCH, MUNICIPAL 
COURT 
FOR T H E DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 
SEC. 101. That there is hereby created in the Municipal Court 
for the District of Columbia a Domestic Relations Branch. 
SEC. 102. DEFINITIONS.—^As used in this Act— 
(a) "Branch" and "Domestic Relations Branch" mean the Do-
"Branch", "Do-
mestic 
Relations 
Branch". 
"Court." 
D. C. Code 11-
752. 
Personnel. 
112 
PUBLIC LAW 486-APR. 11, 1956 
[70 STAT. 
mestic Eelations Branch of the Municipal Court for the District of 
Columbia created by this Act; 
(b) "Court" means the Municipal Court for the District of Co-
lumbia and the several judges thereof. 
SEC. 103. (a) ADDITIONAL JUDGES.—The first section of the Act 
entitled "An Act to authorize the appointment of three additional 
judges of the municipal court for the District of Columbia and to 
prescribe the qualifications of appointees to the municipal court and 
the municipal court of appeals, and for other purposes", approved 
October 25, 1949 (63 Stat. 887), is hereby amended by striking there-
from "thirteen" and inserting in lieu thereof "sixteen". 
(b) The judges appointed to the additional positions authorized 
by the amendments set forth in subsection (a) of this section shall 
during their tenures of office serve as judges of the Domestic Rela-
tions Branch, but the chief judge of the court may, if he finds the 
work in the Domestic Relations Branch will not be adversely affected 
thereby assign any of said judges of the Domestic Relations Branch 
to perform the duties of any other judge of the court. 
The chief 
judge of the court shall also have the authority to assign any of the 
other judges of the court to serve temporarily in the Domestic Re-
lations Branch if, in the opinion of the said chief judge, the work of 
the Domestic Relations Branch requires such assignment. 
SEC. 104. The Judges of the Domestic Relations Branch, with the 
approval of the chief judge of the court, shall have authority to 
appoint and remove a clerk and such other personnel as may be neces-
sary for the operation of the branch. 
SEC. 105. JURISDICTION OF DOMESTIC RELATIONS BRANCH.—The 
Domestic Relations Branch and each judge sitting therein shall have 
exclusive jurisdiction over all actions for divorce from the bond of 
marriage and legal separation from bed and board, including proceed-
ings incidental to such actions for alimony, pendente lite and perma-
nent, and for support and custody of minor children; applications for 
revocation of divorce from bed and board; civil actions to enforce sup-
port of minor children; civil actions to enforce support of wife; 
actions seeking custody of minor children; actions to declare marriages 
void; actions to declare marriages valid; actions for annulments of 
marriage; and proceedings in adoption. 
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to divest the United States 
District Court for the District of Columbia of jurisdiction and power 
to consider, and to enter and enforce judgments, orders, and decrees in 
any such action, application or proceeding filed in such court prior to 
the effective date of this section to the same extent as if this Act had 
not been enacted. 
SEC. 106. (a) 
DOMESTIC RELATIONS BRANCH VESTED W I T H POWER 
To EFFECTUATE PURPOSES OF ACT.—The Domestic Relations Branch 
is hereby vested with so much of the power as is now vested in the 
United States District Court for the District of Columbia, whether in 
law or in equity, as is necessary to effectuate the purposes of this Act, 
including but not limited to, the power to issue restraining orders, 
injunctions, writs of habeas corpus, and ne exeat, and all other writs, 
orders, and decrees. 
(b) The Domestic Relations Branch shall have the same power 
to enforce and execute judgments, orders, and decrees entered by 
it as is now vested in the United States District Court for the Dis-
trict of Columbia. 
Judgments of the branch shall have the same 
legal status as liens upon real estate as judgments of tlje United 
States District Court for the District of Columbia. 
SEC. 107. 
(a) AMENDMENTS OF STATUTES.—Section 963 of the 
Act 
approved March 3, 1901 (31 Stat. 1345, ch. 845), as amended by the 
Act approved June 21, 1949 (63 Stat. 215, ch. 233; sec. 16-416, D. C. 
Code, 1951 edition), is amended by striking therefrom "United States 
70 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 4 8 6 - A P R . 11, 1956 
113 
District Court for the District of Columbia", and inserting in lieu 
thereof "Domestic Eelations Branch of the Municipal Court for the 
District of Columbia". 
(b) Subsection (a) of section 3, and section 13 of the Act entitled 
"An Act to prescribe and regulate the procedure for adoption in the 
District of Columbia", approved June 8, 1954 (68 Stat. 241), is ^^-^ ^6-^20^* ^^' 
amended by striking therefrom "United States District" and inserting 
in lieu thereof "Domestic Relations Branch of the Municipal". 
(c) Section 6 of the Act entitled "An Act to regulate the placing of 
children in family homes, and for other purposes , approved April 22, 
1944 (58 Stat. 194), as amended, is amended by striking "Office of the yg^; c* C
"
*
*
* ^a-
Clerk of the District Court of the United States for the District of 
Columbia" and by striking "Office of the Clerk of the United States 
District Court for the District of Columbia", and by inserting in lieu 
of each such phrase "Domestic Relations Branch of the Municipal 
Court for the District of Columbia". 
SEC. 108. DOCKET.—A separate docket shall be maintained for the 
Domestic Relations Branch. 
There shall be recorded in such docket 
the actions taken at each stage of each action and proceeding instituted 
or conducted in the branch. 
SEC. 109. PROCESS.—Service of process for the Domestic Relations 
Branch shall be made by the United States marshal for the District 
of Columbia or by any of his authorized assistants. Service of process 
for the Domestic Relations Branch may also be had by publication 
in the same manner as service of process is had by publication for the 
United States District Court for the District of Columbia. 
SEC. 110. RULES.—The judges of the Domestic Relations Branch, 
with the approval of the chief judge of the court, shall by rules pre-
scribe the fees, charges, and costs and the forms of process, writs, 
pleadings, and motions, and the practice and procedure in actions 
and proceedings in the Domestic Relations Branch. Such rules shall 
neither abridge, enlarge, nor modify the substantive rights of any 
litigant. Except as otherwise specifically provided by such rules, the 
applicable Federal Rules of Civil Procedure shall govern in the 
branch. 
SEC. 111. APPEALS.—Any party aggrieved by any final or inter-
locutory order or j u d ^ e n t entered in the Domestic Relations Branch 
shall have the same right of appeal available in respect to any final 
or interlocutory order or judgment entered in the civil branch of 
the court. 
SEC. 112. SESSIONS.—The Domestic Relations Branch, with at least 
one judge in attendance, shall be open for the transaction of business 
every day of the year except Saturday afternoons, Sundays, and legal 
holidays, and, if deemed necessary, may also hold night sessions. 
SEC. 113. JURISDICTION OF JUVENILE COURT NOT AFFECTED.—Noth-
ing contained in this Act shall be construed so as to affect or diminish 
the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Court of the District of Columbia, or 
any judge presiding therein. 
SEC. 114. APPROPRIATIONS AUTHORIZED.—Appropriations for 
ex-
penses necessary for the operation of the Domestic Relations Branch, 
including personal services, are hereby authorized. 
SEC. 115. EFFECTIVE DATES.—This Act, except sections 105,106, and 
107, shall take effect upon its approval. 
Sections 105, 106, and 107 
shall take effect thirty days after the appointment and qualification 
of the three additional judges authorized by this Act to be appointed 
to the court. 
Approved April 11, 1956. 
69225 0 - 5 7 - 1 2 (Vol. 70)