trigger laws
Conditional activation legislation
Trigger laws are statutes designed to take effect automatically when a specific condition is met—typically when another law is repealed or a court ruling changes.
The term gained prominence in the United States for state abortion bans written to activate if *Roe v.
Wade* were overturned: Several states had trigger laws ready when the Supreme Court struck down Roe.
- judiciaryLaw-interpreting government branch
- policyAdopted principle of action
- contingencyUncertain possible event
- dormantInactive but capable
- restrictionLimit on action
waiting period · directive · fetal viability · statutes · state legislatures · red states · injunction · legal limbo · activating · sunset clauses · measure · abortion rights · state sovereignty · Roe v. Wade · flashpoint · heartbeat bill · gestational age · reproductive justice
- Southern lawsslave codes, poll taxes, poll tax, literacy tests, grandfather clause
trigger lawssafe haven laws
trigger lawsgrandfather clauses
Exemptions for preexisting conditions
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