A Romeo Juliet Law are laws that are statutory provisions, which aim to protect consensual sexual relationships between minors or between a minor and someone that is near in age from being considered a criminal offense.
Most particularly when one party is below the age of consent, and the other party is slightly older.
Romeo and Juliet laws are also known as close in age exceptions, and are statutes that reduce or even eliminate statutory rape charges for consensual sexual activity between minors who are close in age.
The Romeo Juliet laws don't apply though if one party is a registered sex offender, or if the age difference is too great or if the younger person is below a certain age, such as below 14 in some states like Texas.
And the specific conditions as well as the age of consent also vary significantly by state.
Age difference is key in the Romeo Juliet law, the core of the law is an age gap requirement, typically a 3 year age difference, which is the most common threshold, for protection in many states.
Consent is also required, when being protected by the Romeo Juliet law, as the sexual activity must be consensual between both parties.
The Romeo Juliet laws also usually have a minimum age for the younger partner, like 14 in Texas for example, to ensure the younger individual is capable of consenting.
The Romeo Juliet law acts as a defense to reduce or even eliminate charges of statutory rape, especially for young adults that are close to the age of consent.
And some states, like California, don't have the Romeo Juliet laws and consider any sexual activity that occurs with a minor under age 18 to be illegal.
Even with the Romeo Juliet laws, people can still be arrested and charged with a sex crime, with the Romeo and Juliet law being used as an affirmative defense during a trial.
Texas protects sexual activity between people when the age difference is no more than 3 years, provided that both are at least 14 years of age and neither is a registered sex offender.
California does not have a Romeo and Juliet law and so it's illegal for anyone over 18 to have sex with a person under 18, and the age difference does not matter.
Michigan protects those under 13 from statutory rape charges unless the older person is at least 3 years their senior.