Former child bride leads push to outlaw underage marriage in California

California lawmakers are set to vote on Assembly Bill 1267, which would raise the minimum marriage age to 18 with no exemptions, backed by survivors like Courtney Stodden.

A Senate floor vote is imminent on Assembly Bill 1267, which seeks to prohibit anyone under 18 from marrying in California, removing all prior exemptions. The measure is championed by former child bride Courtney Stodden, who married a 51-year-old actor at 16, and by Christina Sutton, who recounted her coerced marriage at 17 before a Napa judge. Both survivors highlighted the inadequacy of existing safeguards that rely on parental consent and judicial interviews.

Unchained at Last, a survivor-led nonprofit founded by Fraidy Reiss, estimates about 35,000 under-age marriages in the state between 2000 and 2021, predominantly involving young girls and adult men. The organization has spent nearly a decade lobbying for reform, and AB 1267 represents its latest legislative effort. Should the Senate approve the bill, it will move back to the Assembly and then to Governor Gavin Newsom, with the new law slated to begin on Jan. 1, 2027.