California has formally banned child marriage, ending a system that allowed minors to marry with parental consent and judicial approval even though the state had no statutory minimum marriage age.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed the legislation on Wednesday, setting 18 as the minimum age for marriage in the state. The new law takes effect on January 1, 2027, making California the 18th US state to prohibit marriage below the age of 18 without exceptions.
Newsom described the change as long overdue and said it was intended to strengthen protections for young people. He signed the measure alongside campaigner Courtney Stodden, who was 16 when her parents permitted her to marry 50-year-old actor Doug Hutchison in 2011.
The legislation follows years of campaigning by survivors of child marriage who argued that minors could be trapped in abusive or coercive relationships. Brittany Bee, who married at 17, and Sara Tasneem, who says she was forced into marriage at 15, were among those who publicly supported efforts to change the law.
Under the previous California system, minors could marry if a parent consented and a judge approved the marriage. Campaigners also raised concerns that young spouses faced significant legal and practical difficulties leaving marriages, particularly when financial dependence or abuse was involved.
Advocacy organisation Unchained At Last estimates that thousands of girls were married in California each year, with the overwhelming majority of child marriages involving girls and adult men. The campaign to outlaw the practice had continued for nearly a decade before the latest legislation was approved.
California’s decision leaves child marriage legally possible under varying exceptions in 32 US states. Campaigners supporting the California legislation say they intend to continue pressing for an 18-year minimum marriage age nationwide.
