Marriage is a beautiful Union of which many persons have enjoyed, is enjoying, and some people can’t wait to start enjoying. Some people, however, have decided to not get married for some reason or the other. Despite the different feelings and ideologies, many persons have about marriages, one glaring truth is that laws are guiding the union. Laws have been laid down by different states to guide marriages starting from how the marriage should be celebrated and other procedures which the marriage must follow in other for that marriage to be a legally binding union. This article contains briefly the effect of these marriage laws and whether or not all states have the same marriage laws. But first, let’s look at the basic effect of not following or obeying the laid down marriage laws.
Effect of not following these marriage laws
These laws are provided by the state and whosoever intends to get married under the statute must follow these laws. However, Failure to follow these laws might make the marriage void thereby nullifying the union. Or make it voidable. Thereby leaving the power to nullify the union in the hands of a single party to the marriage.
Do different states have different laws.
The marriage laws are quite similar in every State. However, just as the States are different, there are differences in these laws. The differences in these laws are as a result of several factors which include
1) the nature of society;
The nature of the society is a determining factor of a legislature during the creation of marriage laws of a state. For example, in some states where the number of females greatly outnumber that of the male, there is no such offense as bigamy. A man can legally get married to more than one wife under the statute.
However, in some states, it is a criminal act which is punishable under the statute for a man to marry more than one wife. So, the nature of the society is a determining factor when it comes to marriage laws in different states and different states would only enact laws which would be favorable to their society.
2) morality
What is moral differs from one society to the other. What is moral in one state might be considered immoral in another state. And what is immoral in one state would be considered moral in another. A good example is a same-sex marriage. While some state laws have legalized same-sex marriage, in other states it is a crime punishable a certain term of imprisonment or any other punishment provided for by the statute in the state in which such law is created.
3) needs of the people
The needs of the people is also a determining factor when it comes to the creation of marriage laws. The needs of people residing in different states differ. And these marriage laws are put in place to meet the needs of the people residing in that state. So, just as the needs of the people differ, does the marriage laws guiding the people differ. This is because these laws are enacted by those residing in that state and having authority to make marriage laws to guide the married people who reside in that state. As a result of this, the marriage laws of different states differ.
4) culture of the people
The culture of the people also affects the marriage laws of different states. For example, In some States, the marriage laws place more of the responsibility on the male. Whereas, in others, the law places more of the responsibility on the females. So, the culture of the people who reside in that state would serve as a determining factor when it comes to the creation of laws in that state. And just as the culture of different societies differs from state to state, so does the marriage laws guiding those states.
So, the answer to the question of whether or not different states have different state laws? The answer is yes. The marriage laws differ from state to state as a result of the factors above and other determining factors. You can learn more at www.usmarriagelaws.com
