It seems like almost every month you see an article or post on your Facebook or Twitter feed proclaiming the “Three, Weirdest, Driving Legal Statues in the United States” or the “Five Craziest Food Laws Still on the Books in America.”
Although many of our country’s laws seem to be devoid of any legislative intent, other countries have some pretty bizarre legal statutes, too. Here are a few of the most culture shocking legal statutes we were able to find in our legislative research.
Hermione Granger Wasn’t the Only One Fighting For Elf Rights.
Fans of Harry Potter know all about the efforts Hermione made to get elves some basic rights, but they might not know that she had counterparts in real life, too. In Iceland, there are legal statutes forbidding modern road developers from encroaching on the traditional homes of elves, which are actually still enforced. Elf advocacy group Friends of Lava actually halted the construction of a major highway project in 2013 out of fear that it’d disturb elves’ habitats.
The English Can’t Eat Mince Pies on Christmas.
Back in the Oliver Cromwell era, a legal statute forbidding the English from eating mince pies on Christmas was put on England’s books. Of course, people break it en masse every holiday season, and eat mince pies anyways. It was also voted one of the “most ludicrous laws in the U.K.” in a recent poll.
The Thai Legally Have to Wear Underwear.
In Thailand, it’s illegal to go commando. Although this begs the question “How do the police know if someone’s wearing underwear or not?” — chances are it’s preferable to have panty lines than it is to sit in a Thai jail.
While it’s easy to find wacky, international legal statutes, let’s not forget that the U.S. also has a ton of strange laws, too. There are so many weird laws still on our books, in fact, that you hardly have to do any legislative history research to find them. If you know of any weird U.S. legal statutes, or of any other weird international laws, feel free to share in the comments. Check out this site for more: www.legintent.com
