Law
Marriage laws are established by individual states. There are two methods of receiving state recognition of a marriage: common law marriage and obtaining a marriage license. Common-law marriage is no longer permitted in most states. Though federal law does not regulate state marriage law, it does provide for rights and responsibilities of married couples that differ from those of unmarried couples. Reports published by the General Accounting Office in 1997 and 2004 identified over 1000 such laws.
Read more about this topic: Marriage In The United States
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