Emancipation is the legal process, or in most states the automatic event tied to turning 18 or finishing high school, through which a minor gains the rights and responsibilities generally held by adults. Once a child is emancipated, whether by reaching the age of majority or through an earlier court order, a parent's custody rights and child support obligation for that child typically end, because the legal relationship the order was built around no longer applies in the same way.
Two paths to emancipation
Most children become emancipated simply by reaching the age most states treat as adulthood, often paired with finishing secondary school, without anyone needing to go to court. Separately, some states allow a minor to petition a court for early emancipation before that age, typically requiring proof of financial independence and an ability to manage their own affairs. Courts tend to scrutinize these petitions closely, since granting one ends the parent's legal duty of support earlier than it would otherwise end.
Effect on an existing custody order
Once a child is emancipated, the custody provisions in a divorce or custody order no longer have a child to apply to, since the order's authority over "custody" assumes a minor still subject to parental decision-making. Custody orders do not need to be affirmatively canceled in most cases; they simply stop having a practical function once the child reaches majority or is otherwise emancipated.
Effect on child support
Child support obligations generally end at emancipation as well, though the exact cutoff point varies by state and by the language of the specific order. Some orders address related issues separately, such as support continuing through high school graduation even if that happens after a birthday, or support for a child with a disability continuing longer. These variations are set by state law and by the order itself, not by a single national rule.
Why this matters for a case
Whether a specific child qualifies for early emancipation, or what a particular support order says about the exact end date for payments, depends on state law and the order's own terms. A licensed family law attorney can review the relevant order and advise on how emancipation would apply to it.