October 1, 2026 - Sacramento, CA – AB 1267, authored by Assemblymember Pellerin (D-Santa Cruz), has been signed into law. This 
landmark piece of legislation sets a minimum age of 18 for marriage in California with no exceptions. The bill was signed in Sacramento alongside child marriage survivors Sara Tasneem, Christina Sutton, and Courtney Stodden; Executive Director of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, Darcy Totten; and Assemblymember Petrie-Norris, who has championed the issue since 2021.
AB 1267 was authored by Assemblymember Pellerin and coauthored by a bipartisan, bicameral coalition of 38 legislators. Although the bill was sent to the Governor without a single vote in opposition, the journey to banning child marriage in California has been arduous.
“For more than nine years, legislators who came before us, colleagues serving today, survivors, and advocates have worked to move California toward ending child marriage. AB 1267 is about one simple principle: children belong in classrooms, playgrounds, and with adults who are raising them – not attempting to marry them,” said Assemblymember Pellerin.
Current law sets the age of consent and the age of majority (adulthood) at 18 in California. While California grants certain limited rights to minors, the age of majority plays a crucial role in determining when individuals are granted certain rights and responsibilities, including the right to vote, enter contracts, and make legal decisions. If an individual engages in sexual intercourse with a minor, they are guilty of statutory rape – that is, unless that individual is the spouse of the minor. With Governor Newsom’s signature, child predators who marry their victims lose that legal protection on January 1, 2027.
AB 1267 moved through the Legislature in large part because of survivors like Christina Sutton. A lifelong Californian, Christina was forced into a relationship as a child. By 17, she was pregnant and married to an adult. She testified before both the Senate and Assembly Judiciary Committees, and her courage in sharing her story helped advance the bill.
"I'm honored to stand by Assemblymember Pellerin, who refused to let survivors like me be ignored. AB 1267 exists because she took a stand to protect children. I carry what child marriage cost me, but because of her, no child in California will have to carry the same. This is a win for California — my work will continue in other states,” said Christina Sutton.
Unchained At Last, a non-profit and cosponsor of AB 1267, has been involved with legislative efforts across the nation to establish a minimum age to marry in each state. Its coalition of advocates and survivors has moved the needle on legal protections that impact marriage autonomy across the United States. Involved in the coalition is Courtney Stodden, a well-known public figure and survivor of child marriage who attended the bill signing. Stodden and other advocates have engaged with the media and lobbied legislators to bring the bill widespread public attention.
With news of the bill being signed into law, a spokesperson for Unchained at Last shared, "What a huge victory for California girls! We at Unchained At Last are proud to have co-sponsored this historic legislation to ban a human rights abuse that destroys girls' lives, and we are forever grateful to Assemblymember Pellerin for getting the bill to final, unanimous passage. The Governor's signature today sends a clear message that girls in the Golden State are not for sale."
As an appointed commissioner on the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, banning child marriage has been a legislative priority for Assemblymember Pellerin.
The commission, a co-sponsor of AB 1267, is tasked with eliminating inequities in state laws, practices, and conditions that affect California’s women and girls. Many married before the age of 18 experience lifelong consequences stemming from their premature marriages, including fewer educational and economic opportunities, increased financial dependency on their spouse, and increased risks of violence and unintended pregnancies. Many organizations, including the United Nations Children’s Fund and Human Rights Watch, consider marriage before age 18 to be a human rights abuse as well as a form of child abuse.
“California finally joins many other states in banning child marriage with no exceptions or loopholes,” said Executive Director of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, Darcy Totten. “Children, especially girls, in California will no longer face being exploited or coerced into marriage, handed over to a predator who should have been prosecuted instead, or having their human rights violated. Thank you to Unchained at Last, our co-sponsor and partner in this effort; author Commissioner Assemblymember Gail Pellerin; the many advocates and survivors who fought for this protection; and to the Governor for signing AB 1267 and showing that California can and will stand up for girls and youth.”
“The heart of this effort has always been the survivors,” said Assemblymember Gail Pellerin. “They told us what it means to be a child in a marriage you did not freely choose. They told us about coercion and abuse hidden behind the appearance of consent. They told us how difficult it can be as a minor to ask for help, find an attorney, leave home, or escape the very adults who are supposed to protect them. Because of them, California children are safer.”
With Governor Newsom’s signature, beginning January 1, 2027, marriage will no longer deny minors protections of California’s statutory rape laws or shield adults who sexually exploit them from accountability.
Assemblymember Gail Pellerin represents California’s 28th Assembly District including Santa Cruz County and parts of Santa Clara County. She chairs the Assembly Elections Committee and the Select Committee on California’s Mental Health Crisis.
Source: Assemblymember Gail Pellerin