Définition
Established by Law n° 93-22 of 8 January 1993, the judge of the court of first instance delegated for family affairs has sole competence for judging divorce and its consequences and, after the divorce or in situations other than divorce, to rule on the terms of exercise of parental authority and on contributions towards the maintenance and education of children. He or she is more specifically in charge of safeguarding the interests of minors.
Since 1st February 1994, the date on which the law came into force, disputes that were formerly settled by the trial judge (mainly affairs concerning illegitimate children) have been dealt with in the court of the first instance by the family affairs judge.