In 2022, no-fault divorce finally came to the UK. Couples can now simply call it quits by declaring an “irretrievable breakdown” in their marriage without needing to cite a reason (like adultery) for the split. The legal shake-up was hailed as a much-needed overhaul that would streamline the process of divorce and ease undue stress on couples and the family courts. In this aspect, we had lagged behind our neighbours across the pond for decades.
In 1969, California became the first state to legalise no-fault divorce, with then-governor Ronald Reagan declaring : “I believe it is a step towards removing the acrimony and bitterness between a couple that is harmful not only to their children but also to society as a whole.” The rest of America soon followed. By 2010, every US state had legalised some form of no-fault divorce. The “no-fault revolution”, as it became known, had finally won.
At least, until recently. Right-wing commentators like Daily Wire host Matt Walsh have previously shared support for an end to no-fault divorce, while podcasters Tim Pool and Steven Crowder argue that it creates a “raw deal” for men. Now-Vice President JD Vance argued on his 2021 Senate campaign trail that it let people “shift spouses like they change their underwear” (although, he hasn’t made any public comments on this since). House Speaker Mike Johnson has campaigned against it for years and once said that he holds it partly responsible for creating an “amoral society” that leads young people to “go into their schoolhouse and open fire on their classmates”.
This isn’t all talk from politicians and conservative blow-hards, either. There is legislative momentum building in red states like Texas, Iowa and Louisiana, which are all attempting to scale back no-fault divorce. In Texas, Republican legislators have repeatedly called to abolish it and even introduced a bill to that effect. It failed in 2025 but the party has continued to commit to ending it as part of its 2026 policy agenda. Iowa Republicans have also introduced a bill that would allow couples to sign away their right to no-fault divorces when they get married.