Trigger law
Encyclopedia
A trigger law is a nickname for a law
that is unenforceable and irrelevant in the present, but may achieve relevance and enforceability if a key change circumstances occur.
, on the assumption that the technology will one day exist.
In the United States
, some states have trigger laws on abortion
to make the practice automatically illegal if the landmark case Roe v. Wade
is overturned, giving abortion regulation powers back to the states.
Some states have enacted the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact
, a trigger law that would force presidential elections to be decided by popular vote. Only when a sufficient number of states have passed this law to achieve a majority of electoral votes would each state pledge their electors to the popular vote winner.
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
that is unenforceable and irrelevant in the present, but may achieve relevance and enforceability if a key change circumstances occur.
Examples
Although it has never been achieved, many nations have trigger laws banning human cloningHuman cloning
Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy of a human. It does not usually refer to monozygotic multiple births nor the reproduction of human cells or tissue. The ethics of cloning is an extremely controversial issue...
, on the assumption that the technology will one day exist.
In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, some states have trigger laws on abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
to make the practice automatically illegal if the landmark case Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade, , was a controversial landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion. The Court decided that a right to privacy under the due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion,...
is overturned, giving abortion regulation powers back to the states.
Some states have enacted the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact
National Popular Vote Interstate Compact
The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is an agreement among U.S. states designed to replace current state rules governing the electoral college system of presidential elections with rules guaranteeing election of the national popular vote winner...
, a trigger law that would force presidential elections to be decided by popular vote. Only when a sufficient number of states have passed this law to achieve a majority of electoral votes would each state pledge their electors to the popular vote winner.