Questions tagged [us-state-laws]
Questions related to any laws enacted by any of the 50 states in the United States. Use the [united-states] tag alongside this.
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In most U.S. states, female genital mutilation is illegal. So why is male circumcision legal?
Hello new users from around the Stack Exchange Network
We are aware that this question is about a very emotionally laden topic. So we would like to make sure you are aware of the purpose of ...
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What is the rationale behind making it illegal to hand out water to voters in line in Georgia?
From S.B. 202 (emphasis added):
No person shall solicit votes in any manner or by any means or method, nor shall any person distribute or display any campaign material, nor shall any person give, ...
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If Roe is overturned, what is the legality of laws prohibiting crossing state lines for abortion?
States such as Missouri are planning to make it illegal for a citizen of Missouri to go to a different state to get an abortion if Roe is ultimately overturned. It attempts to evade legal challenge by ...
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How do the Republicans' recent laws make it harder for Democratic voters to vote?
I read this BBC article, but it's not totally clear for me why the recent voting rights laws passed in more than a dozen Republican-controlled state legislatures affect the Democratic base, but not ...
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In the US, what is the role of and relationship between federal law and state law?
(This is an attempt at a canonical question about an important distinction in US law and politics that is different than many other countries. It was suggested by this comment on another question. I'm ...
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Why is bestiality illegal in the United States?
This is a question I have wondered more than once while browsing statute. Many states have laws against bestiality. For the life of me, I have never heard of this practice actually occurring and I ...
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Is the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact constitutional?
I read recently that Colorado will have a version of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact on their ballot in November. Considering that this bill functionally eliminates the Electoral College, ...
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What would happen if an American state didn’t follow a ruling by the Supreme Court?
If the Supreme Court decided that same-sex marriage was a right on the federal level, what would happen if a specific state decided not to follow their ruling?
What power does the federal government ...
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Why is avoidance of judicial review of the Texas abortion law and other future US state laws so concerning to the US department of justice?
From CNN's video coverage of US Attorney General Merrick Garland announcement of its lawsuit against the state of Texas:
Q: ...several GOP lawmakers who said that they will follow Texas’ lead, and I ...
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Why are Kinder Surprise Eggs illegal in the USA?
In the USA, Kinder Surprise Eggs are banned by the government. What is the reason?
user25526
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What arguments have been made to support the Texas abortion law's private enforcement provisions, beyond evading review?
Texas Senate Bill 8, which practically bars abortions in the state, has an unusual* provision whereby civil claims against abortion providers can be asserted by private plaintiffs not involved in or ...
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What would happen if every state had a law requiring it hold the nations first primary?
Quoting https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/11/politics/iowa-new-hampshire-primary-monopoly/index.html:
The vote-counting meltdown in Iowa's antiquated and haphazard caucus system -- a process used partly ...
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How do states with no state income tax like Florida or Texas generate tax revenue?
How do states with no state income tax like Florida or Texas generate tax revenue? Do they have higher property tax or sales tax?
I compared their property and sales taxes with other states with ...
user38056
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Why do so many US States have a relaxed vehicle inspection policy?
According to Wikipedia, many US states have a relaxed policy for car inspection regulations:
Maryland requires an inspection prior to registration or transfer of
ownership only. Several states ...
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Has any US state passed a law in a language other than English?
There is an interesting question on the Law stack exchange: "If Congress [of the United States of America] passed a bill written in Spanish, would it be valid?" (the answer appears to be '...
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If every legal challenge that Trump has mounted since the election succeeds, could he win the presidency?
I am not certain of exactly which legal cases he has launched, but let us imagine that all of them (recounts, discarding votes, etc.) are decided in his favo(u)r, exactly as he wishes.
In that case, ...
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Why does New Mexico resolve election ties with a game of Poker?
I just learned today that, according to the New Mexico Constitution, if an election ends in a tie, the race will be decided by a game of chance, either a coin-flip, high-card draw, or a single hand of ...
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Why does the US government not enforce federal laws against Colorado's legalization of marijuana?
As far as I know, possession and trade of marijuana is illegal in the United States according to federal law. However, the state of Colorado (as well as some others) recently legalized marijuana for ...
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Where does the right to refuse service come from?
I'm curious where this comes from, is it written law somewhere? Where is this right defined?
It's normally written as "we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone" in restaurants or ...
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How could Philadelphia join New Jersey?
Yesterday, the Pennsylvania Senate voted to block a Philadelphia law which would require paid sick leave for employees. This is just one in a long series of examples where the heavily-Democrat ...
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Why are American states permitted to vote their own election laws?
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Friday that the Department
of Justice would be suing the state of Georgia over its recent voting
rights changes. While the case is obviously directed at the ...
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What are the powers of mayors in the US?
I know very little about US government and state system and only in general.
I heard that, for example, US town mayor also rules town police and can change taxes. Is it true? The fact about ruling ...
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How can grand jury secrecy rules block release of Trump financial records?
This NY Times article discussing the Supreme Court ruling that Trump cannot block release of financial records clarifies that this "probably means the records will be shielded from public ...
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Have congressional Republicans taken a position on whether they will give "consent" to the United States Climate Alliance as an interstate compact?
The United States Climate Alliance is an effort by state governments to support the Paris Climate Accord and help reduce emissions in the United States. There is however a constitutional problem with ...
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Why don't unions negotiate members-only contracts in right-to-work states?
How unions are generally formed is that the workers at a company take a vote, and if a majority vote for collective bargaining, then all the workers get represented by a union in negotiations with the ...
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Why did Mississipi ratify the 13th Amendment so late?
I read recently - to my surprise - that Mississippi ratified the 13th Amendment to abolish involuntary servitude and slavery in 2013. In fact, there was a move to ratify it in 1995, but the paperwork ...
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Why do US local laws vary so much regarding the Second Amendment but so little regarding the First Amendment?
The Second Amendment to the US Constitution protects the right to keep and bear arms. Although the Constitution applies to all the United States, individual States, cities and other jurisdictions vary ...
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Since they have large autonomy, are U.S. states responsible for international policy and relations in any way?
I never see States' representatives at international meetings or in any diplomatic relations. Are they responsible in any way for foreign policy?
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Can state governments be overthrown without national government involvement?
It is my understanding that the state and national government of the United States are separate entities (that's what federalism is, combining smaller states into a larger one).
Could unhappy ...
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Can a U.S. state criminalize activity that's done in another state where it's legal?
In the United States, there are many states which have laws prohibiting things which other states permit - gambling, marijuana, same-sex marriage, and gun ownership, for a few examples. Obviously, if ...
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Why are emergency service professionals exempt from CA prohibitions on texting while driving?
When I first read the article headlined "Police Officer Will Not Be Charged For Killing Napster Exec While Texting And Driving — Because It's Apparently OK For Police To Do That" I expected it would ...
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Why are drinking laws so strict in the USA?
In the USA, alcohol laws are very strict and specific, while in most other parts of the world they are very lax. What's the reason?
user25526
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Why should I care about federal vs state rights?
The premise behind most arguments about Obamacare, and other programs is that it's a "Federal" vs "State" rights issue.
I come from a corporate business background, and it seems to me that if enough ...
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Covid-19 public data accuracy, disclosure, and transparency
With the unprecedented move of the Trump administration to have state Covid-19 data sent to HHS instead of the CDC it warrants to know if any rules\regulations will work differently with this change ...
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Georgia Secretary of State's power to enforce the 14th amendment of the US constitution re. deny Marjorie Taylor Green's right to run for re-election?
In CNN's Attorney grills Marjorie Taylor Greene about her false stolen election remarks at about 03:35 reporter Amara Walker says:
Now the judge is expected to make a decision early next month on ...
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What are the arguments for and against Statutes of Limitations?
I was reading this article earlier today about the alleged Golden State Killer which mentioned that the State of California passed a law a few years ago which eliminated the Statute of Limitations for ...
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Can a bill that has passed the US Senate or House expire?
The Senate passed the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 in 2013; however, the house has still not acted on it. Is it possible for the bill to expire? ...
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Why do some states forbid per-kWh by anyone but the utility monopoly?
I was reading this article on EV-charger pricing schemes. There are some vague references to states requiring per-minute pricing, but 0 explanations of that thing. A little research has suggested ...
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How did Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo explain why he vetoed a bill that would ban people from acting as fake electors?
Politico's Nov 15, 2023 Nevada attorney general is investigating false electors who aided Trump in 2020 includes the following, quoting Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford:
...an American lawyer and ...
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Why do people say the Indiana Religious Freedom Act will be used to discriminate against gays?
Indiana's recent Religious Freedom Restoration Act has cause a bit of a stir. Political leaders such as Clinton, business leaders such as Benioff and Cook, celebrities as well as protestors have all ...
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How would the United States of America grant Puerto Rico statehood?
Given the existence of the statehood movement in Puerto Rico, what would need to happen for Puerto Rico to be the 51st State of the U.S.A.?
After their last hurricane, how would the help from the US ...
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How can Indiana already be won even though only 8% of polls have reported?
Not that I would expect Indiana to swing blue here, but with 8% of polls reporting, Donald Trump has already clinched Indiana.
NY Times
How does this happen?
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How are U.S. states allowed to put marijuana legalization on ballots when it's against federal law?
Five states will now legalize marijuana for both recreational and medical use.
During the November elections, A majority of New Jersey and Arizona residents voted yes on ballot measures to make ...
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Which US states prohibit vote trading by elected officials?
Apparently vote trading is illegal in California when done by elected officials:
Recent amendments to the Penal Code extended the prohibition to local officials:
Any member of the legislative body ...
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Does a state have a right to criminalize someone's illegal presence within their borders?
Suppose the state of Texas, disappointed by the US federal government's handling of illegal immigration, decides to enact a law that criminalizes one's illegal presence within the state. Meaning if ...
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Can private entities directly fund federal organizations?
Hypothetical:
With congress stalled or unwilling to pass a new budget, could a sufficiently wealthy organization donate money to a government department, say the Department of Education or NASA and ...
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Is the President of the United States bound by state laws?
The state of New York is currently in the process of passing a law allowing Congress to access the state tax returns of elected officials and top appointed officials. This is seen as a potential "end-...
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Can Florida ban Trump from visiting?
Trump's consistent weekend trips to Mar-a-Lago in Florida are apparently wreaking havoc on the economy of the city it's in, Palm Beach.
This is of course due to the fact that his visit, due to his ...
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Why does each US state handle car registrations and driver licensing separately rather than delegating it to the federal government?
Despite the high level of economic integration between US states, for some reason all of them insist on having their own rules for driver licensing and car registration. When moving to a different ...
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What are the specifications of Texas's new motto law?
Texas has a new law requiring public schools to display "In God We Trust" posters if donated.
What are the specifications of an item that would be required for mandatory display? I've seen ...
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