Is child marriage legal in the United States?
Of a sort, and depending upon the particular state, yes.
In some places children (minor children, those who are by law deemed incapable of consenting to marry) can marry with their parents’ permission, under certain conditions.
For example, in Utah (where I practice divorce and family law), the Utah Code provides:
30-1-9. Marriage by minors — Consent of parent or guardian — Juvenile court authorization.
30-1-9.1. Parental consent to prohibited marriage of minor — Penalty.
It used to be that minor girls as young as 14 could marry in many U.S. states (including Utah), with parental permission. That is no longer true in Utah; the minimum age is now 16.
According to this webpage, Marriage Age by State 2022, the state with the lowest minimum marriage age with parental consent in the U.S.A. is Massachusetts, which allows a child of 12 years of age to marry. New Hampshire comes in second at 13 years of age, and Hawaii and Missouri are tied at 15 years of age. Every other state sets the minimum at 16 years of age.
Utah Family Law, LC | divorceutah.com | 801-466-9277
https://www.quora.com/Why-is-child-marriage-still-legal-in-the-U-S/answer/Eric-Johnson-311
Tags: adults, child marriage, children, family law, law, marriage, state law, united states, Utah law