📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Dorothea Lange
Politics
California Enacts Ban on Child Marriage; 32 States Still Permit It
✍️ Bhaskar English
🗓 03 Oct 2026, 09:47 AM
👁 11
California has become the first U.S. state to outlaw child marriage, while 32 other states continue to allow the practice.
California’s new law prohibits marriage for anyone under 18, with no exceptions for parental consent or judicial approval.
The legislation, which took effect on January 1, 2024, makes the state the first in the U.S. to ban child marriage outright.
Despite this move, 32 states still permit child marriage, some allowing it under specific circumstances such as parental consent or court approval.
The ban is expected to set a precedent that could prompt other states to reconsider their own statutes on child marriage.
The legislation, which took effect on January 1, 2024, makes the state the first in the U.S. to ban child marriage outright.
Despite this move, 32 states still permit child marriage, some allowing it under specific circumstances such as parental consent or court approval.
The ban is expected to set a precedent that could prompt other states to reconsider their own statutes on child marriage.