Current Affairs - International - Discussion

California banned child marriage by establishing 18 as the minimum age for marriage and domestic partnership with no exceptions. Governor Gavin Newsom approved Assembly Bill 1267 (AB 1267), which repeals earlier provisions that permitted minors to marry with parental consent or judicial approval. The law takes effect on January 1, 2027. Before this legislation, California had no statutory minimum marriage age, and around 35,000 minors were married in the state between 2000 and 2021. With this reform, California became the 18th US state to completely ban child marriage without exceptions, strengthening legal protection for minors.