Professor JoAnne Sweeny talks Kentucky child marriage bill

Professor JoAnne Sweeny talks Kentucky child marriage bill

JoAnne Sweeny appeared on UofL Today with Mark Hebert on April 18, 2018.

On April 18, 2018, Brandeis School of Law Professor JoAnne Sweeny was a guest on UofL Today with Mark Hebert, where she commented on Kentucky's so-called "child marriage bill."

A child marriage is defined as one where at least one of the parties is under the age of 18. Most such marriages involve a bride who is much younger than the groom, says Sweeny, adding that child marriage often ends up forcing young girls into marriages with their abusers.

In Kentucky, a new law changing the age of consent to marry to 18 is a "huge improvement," Sweeny says.

Sweeny also discussed Kentucky Senate Bill 68, which closed a loophole that could have forced abused spouses to pay attorney fees for their incarcerated spouse during a divorce.

Sweeny's current scholarly interests include comparative constitutional law, freedom of expression, law and gender and legal history.

Listen to Sweeny's segment.