Short answer. Marriage or voluntary emancipation ends the guardianship of the minor ward's person and lets him administer his property as if of age, but Rule 97, Section 3 still requires parental or guardian consent to borrow money or alienate real property, and assistance to sue or be sued.
What the law says
The marriage or voluntary emancipation of a minor ward terminates the guardianship of the person of the ward, and shall enable the minor to administer his property as though he were of age, but he cannot borrow money or alienate or encumber real property without the consent of his father or mother, or guardian.
Rule 97, Section 3 — Other termination of guardianship. Read the full provision →
What ends the guardianship of the person
The rule states that the marriage or voluntary emancipation of a minor ward terminates the guardianship of the person of the ward — a change in the minor's status that automatically ends this particular form of guardianship over him. The termination happens by operation of the event itself; the minor and his family do not need to separately petition the court to have the guardianship of the person formally lifted once marriage or voluntary emancipation has occurred.
Expanded, but not unlimited, property authority
That termination shall enable the minor to administer his property as though he were of age, a meaningful expansion of his authority over what he owns. This lets the now-married minor handle the ordinary day-to-day management of his property directly, rather than continuing to route those decisions through whoever previously served as his guardian. The word 'administer' is doing real work here — it covers running and managing the property, not the separate, larger category of transactions the next section still restricts.
What still needs consent
Administration is not the same as unrestricted ownership authority: he cannot borrow money or alienate or encumber real property without the consent of his father or mother, or guardian. The biggest, least reversible transactions still require someone else's sign-off, reflecting that ordinary management authority and the power to permanently give up or mortgage real property are treated very differently under the rule.
Litigation, and discharge for any guardianship generally
He can sue and be sued in court only with the assistance of his father, mother, or guardian. Separately, the section adds a broader point applicable to any guardianship: a guardian of any person may be discharged by the court once it appears, on the ward's application or otherwise, that the guardianship is no longer necessary. That broader discharge provision covers situations beyond marriage or voluntary emancipation, such as a ward simply reaching majority age.
Related provisions
- Rule 97, Section 3 — Other termination of guardianship
- Rule 97, Section 4 — Record to be kept by the justice of the peace or municipal judge