Full Faith and Credit...

• What is Full Faith and Credit?
• What does this mean for...
  • Survivors of Abuse
  • Abusers
  • Advocates

What is Full Faith and Credit?

Under the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), jurisdictions must give full faith and credit to valid orders of protection. Full faith and credit is a legal term that jurisdictions must honor and enforce orders issued by courts in other jurisdictions.

For the order of protection to be valid, it must meet the following conditions:

• The court that issued the order must have had personal jurisdiction over the parties and subject matter jurisdiction over the case
• The respondent must have had notice and an opportunity to be heard. 18 U.S.C. §2265(b).

Full faith and credit helps to protect freedom of movement by requiring the justice system to enforce orders of protection throughout the country. If an abuser travels across state or tribal lines and violates a protection order, the abuser can be punished under the laws of the jurisdiction where the violation occurred and also may be charged with federal crimes.