In the process of doing legislative history research, you’ll inevitably stumble upon some legal statutes, ordinances, and laws that seem to be devoid of any sense of legislative intent. Some of these are silly, and others are just downright odd.
The crazy thing is that a lot of these are actually still on the books! Here’s a few such strange legal statutes that we were able to find in our own legislative research.
Not Under My Roof!
The great state of Virginia is currently working on trying to get rid of a legal statute that forbids unwed couples from cohabiting together. Yes, that means if you live in the Mother of States with your boyfriend, girlfriend, or partner, you are technically breaking the law.
Breaking the Fourth Commandment Is a Misdemeanor.
In Michigan, cursing God isn’t just against the law — it’s a misdemeanor — which means that you can actually serve some time for taking the Lord’s name in vain. Blasphemy legal statutes aren’t unheard of, and they actually used to be much more common, but as society’s become more progressive, they’ve begun going by the wayside.
Why Mike Tyson Shouldn’t Box in Utah.
Unfortunately, if you box in Utah, you can’t bite anyone. Instead, you’ll just have to rely on you skills and try to knock your opponent senseless with your fists like you were in a — oh, I don’t know — a boxing match and not in a street fight.
Things Can’t Escalate Quickly in Colorado.
In Aspen, Colorado, people aren’t allowed to throw snowballs or missiles, which begs the question — what do people do for fun there other than ski? This legal statute is strange no matter which way you look at it. How could snowball fights become such a problem that they were criminalized? And why did they have to also mention that you can’t throw military grade projectiles?
These are just some of the weirder legal statutes we were able to find. If you’ve uncovered any of your own, feel free to share in the comments.
