UPDATE: Kentucky Lawyers Still Not Allowed to Fight Duels
A bill that would have removed the no-dueling pledge (partly to prevent “snickering” at it) has failed.
Legislatures at Work
Another Defect in Virginia’s Reckless-Driving Statutes
Apparently you can be convicted of reckless driving in Virginia even if you weren't driving. As I wrote the other day, a Virginia man was acquitted of reckless driving recently after his attorney noticed that there was an "at" missing…
Reckless-Driving Acquittal Again Shows Proofreading Is Not Just for Dorks
It is for dorks, but it’s not *just* for dorks.
One Possibly Unforeseen Risk of Escaping While Handcuffed
— is that you might also get charged with stealing the handcuffs. According to the Longview (Wash.) Daily News, a man who was arrested on October 1 managed to escape while being taken to jail, after he was able to…
Elmo Testifies Before Congress
Tells Congress he loves it, tries to eat microphone.
Stephen Colbert Testifies Before Congress
If you didn't have a chance to see Stephen Colbert's testimony before Congress (specifically, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship & Border Security) about the plight of migrant workers, here's his opening statement. The video of the full…
Witch-Regulation Bill Fails to Pass in Romania
Romanian lawmaker Alin Popoviciu is blaming fear for the failure of a bill he sponsored that would have imposed new regulations and taxes on witches and fortune tellers. He claimed that the legislation had failed because lawmakers were afraid they…
Proposed Law Would Make It Illegal to Hoot After 11 P.M.
Fed up with noisy visitors, the city council of Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, appears likely to pass an ordinance that would make it illegal to, inter alia, hoot between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. or at any…
Food Fight Breaks Out in Ukrainian Parliament
When your legislators really care about democracy, it shows. In the U.S., most speeches are made to a C-SPAN camera in an otherwise empty room, and almost nobody watches. In other countries, they feel strongly enough to get involved in…
Louisiana May Criminalize Embarrassing Emails
The Louisiana legislature, always on the lookout for important problems to solve, appears likely to pass a bill that would make it a criminal offense to send an electronic message with the intent to "harass" or "embarrass" any person under…