§ 19-6-25.Revision of judgments for permanent alimony entered prior to March 9, 1955
Chapter 6. Alimony and Child Support · Article 1. General Provisions · Last amended 1957 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-6-25
Plain-English Summary
This section keeps the protection for pre-1955 judgments in place after a first change. When any judgment for permanent alimony entered before March 9, 1955 is revised, amended, altered, settled, satisfied or released, it is not afterward subject to revision except on the conditions in § 19-6-24.
Those conditions are written consent by both parties, no minor children involved (or all of age when the application is filed), approval by the judge of the original court, and filing of the consent and approval with that court’s clerk. So a first revision of an old judgment doesn’t open it to the ordinary modification process that applies to later judgments under § 19-6-19. Every later change must again meet all four conditions. The section dates from 1957, and its credits show no later amendment. It works as a lock: the first change to an old judgment doesn’t loosen the rules for the next one.
Frequently Asked Questions
If a pre-1955 alimony judgment was already revised, can it be changed again?
Yes, but only on the conditions in § 19-6-24. Once a judgment for permanent alimony entered before March 9, 1955 is revised, amended, altered, settled, satisfied or released, it isn’t subject to further revision except on those conditions. They include written consent of both parties and approval by the judge of the original court.
Does revising an old alimony judgment make it subject to normal modification rules?
No. This section keeps a revised pre-1955 judgment under the § 19-6-24 conditions. It doesn’t move the judgment into the ordinary modification process that § 19-6-19 provides for judgments entered on or after July 1, 1977. One former spouse can’t file alone and ask a jury to revise it based on changed finances.
What conditions apply to a second revision of a pre-1955 alimony judgment?
The four in § 19-6-24: written consent of both parties; no minor children involved, or all of age when the application is filed; approval by the judge of the original court; and filing of the consent and approval with that court’s clerk.
Which alimony judgments does § 19-6-25 cover?
Any judgment for permanent alimony entered before March 9, 1955 that has been revised, amended, altered, settled, satisfied or released. Later judgments fall under § 19-6-18 or §§ 19-6-19 through 19-6-22, as § 19-6-23 explains. A pre-1955 judgment that has never been changed is governed directly by § 19-6-24.
Can one former spouse alone modify a revised pre-1955 alimony judgment?
No. Because § 19-6-24 applies, both parties must consent in writing and the original court’s judge must approve before any further revision. There also must be no minor children involved, or all must be of age when the application is filed, and the consent and approval must be filed with the clerk of the original court.
Amendment History
Laws 1957, p. 94, § 2.