California has outlawed child marriage, joining 17 other US states where the practice is also banned. Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1267 on Wednesday, which prohibits minors from being issued a marriage license or establishing a domestic partnership.
Under previous state law, minors of any age could obtain a court order for marriage with the consent of their parents. The new law has no exceptions.
Governor Newsom stated that the measure would protect young Californians, while activist Courtney Stodden, who married at 16, expressed gratitude for the action. Unchained at Last, an advocacy group, claims that 9,000 children are married in California annually.