Recognition of International Marriages in Argentina

* Staff Attorney, Kansas Legal Services, Garden City, KS. She formerly taught as Assistant Graduate Professor at Mar del Plata National University School of Law and worked at * 'Estudio Juridico del Dr. Juan A. Constantino'' as an associate attorney. 1. In the civil law system, judges interpret the law but are not required to follow precedent. All prior court decisions are persuasive only, and treatises of well-known jurists are considered to be as valuable as sources of authority as prior court decisions. 2. The substantive codes include such codes as the civil code, commercial code, penal code, and the maritime code. 3. Argentina has a federal and republic form of government. Like the United States, there is a central or federal government consisting of the president, Congress, and federal courts. Individual state governments include the governor, state legislature, and state courts. 4. The codes of civil and criminal procedure are examples of procedural codes. Each state has its own procedural codes, while federal courts apply federal civil or penal procedural codes. 5. The Argentine civil code is more than 100 years old and contains 4,056 sections, many of which have been modified over the years. 6. The Marriage and Divorce Act was sanctioned as Law 23.515 on June 3, 1987; promulgated by the executive order 884 on June 8, 1987; and published in the official newspaper on June 12, 1987, and modified ??159 through 239 of the civil code and other related sections.