Americans are steadily delaying the age of first marriage. From 1983 to 2023, the median age increased by about five years to 30.2 years for men and 28.4 years for women, according to the U.S. Census.

Not long ago I wrote a blog and recorded a podcast on common law marriage. I recently came across a decision of Pennsylvania’s Superior Court that has significance for the LGBTQIA+ community. One of ...

Today’s question: Are you married? Short answer: Yes, if you went through a marriage ceremony conducted by an authorized person and received a valid marriage license, never divorced and your spouse is ...

What is Common Law Marriage? Typically in the United States, a couple gets married by obtaining a marriage license and having a marriage ceremony. In some states, however, a couple can be deemed ...

"Moreover, Mr. Zadnik was, from the evidence, the only other person in the room when the purported common law wedding ceremony occurred. There was no officiant. Perhaps I said that too quickly. Let me ...

Do you assume common law marriage exists everywhere? At some point growing up I "learned" that any couple who lives together for seven years automatically becomes a common law marriage, and never ...

OKLAHOMA CITY -- After Clint Duffy's father died in 2002, the family became embroiled in a lengthy court battle with a woman Duffy describes as a former girlfriend with whom his father had broken up ...

Does Social Security recognize common law or do you have to be legally married? My potential life partner is currently on disability collecting Social Security in a neighboring state. If the spousal ...

U.S. President Donald Trump signed a law effective Aug. 1, 2025, that makes couples who have been in a relationship for five years automatically legally married. But there was no such law, nor was ...

Six years ago Claire Ulrich, chorus girl met Charles E. Whitehurst, Baltimore. Md., theatreman, in Manhattan. They went to a hotel. In their room, without witnesses, they read to each other the ...

Whether your dream wedding takes place in a pristine chapel or a stodgy courthouse, there’s always one thing in common: someone – be it a religious leader or a government official – presiding over the ...