California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1267 on Wednesday, making the state the 18th in the U.S. to outlaw child marriage and setting 18 as the statutory minimum age for both marriage and domestic partnership.
The new law repeals the earlier provisions that allowed minors to wed with parental consent and court approval, a loophole that enabled roughly 35,000 under‑age marriages in the state between 2000 and 2021, most involving a girl and an adult man.
Survivors like Courtney Stodden, who married actor Doug Hutchison at 16, praised the bill as a “victory” and vowed to keep campaigning for nationwide protection. Stodden, a former media personality, highlighted how the law sends a message that children should not be forced into marriage.
Assemblywoman Gail Pellerin, the bill’s author, said the campaign’s heart has always been survivors’ stories, which revealed the real harm of forced marriages. She noted that the new law will also close the gap that left people under 18 without a divorce mechanism.
With the law taking effect on Jan 1 2027, California’s Department of Public Health will begin updating marriage license forms, while the Department of Justice will oversee enforcement. The ban joins 32 states that still permit child marriages under certain conditions, making the California move a significant shift in national policy.
The next step for advocates is to monitor the first year of enforcement to ensure no minors are registered as married, a task that will involve county clerks and law‑enforcement agencies across the state.