California officially bans child marriage, sets minimum marriage age at 18
California has officially banned child marriage after Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation setting 18 as the minimum age for marriage in the state.
The new law, AB 1267, was signed by Newsom on Wednesday, September 30, and will take effect on January 1, 2027. It removes previous provisions that allowed minors to marry with parental consent and judicial approval.
Stay updated: Set GistReel as a favorite source on Google to catch our stories first.
Newsom signed the legislation alongside Courtney Stodden, a survivor of child marriage who was allowed by her parents to marry 50-year-old actor Doug Hutchison at 16.
Stodden welcomed the development and described California’s action as a victory for survivors, while pledging to continue advocating for children to be protected from marriage across the United States.
“Governor Newsom’s action today made clear to me and to survivors of child marriage everywhere that we should never have been expected to carry this burden. California is a victory, but I’m not stopping here.”
The legislation follows years of advocacy from survivors and campaigners seeking to end child marriage in the state.
Other survivors also welcomed the change, sharing experiences of being married as minors and the difficulties they encountered.
California previously had no fixed minimum marriage age when parental consent and court approval were obtained. The new legislation also sets 18 as the minimum age for domestic partnerships.
With the new law, California becomes the 18th US state to completely ban child marriage without exceptions, according to the governor’s office.
The law will officially come into effect on January 1, 2027.