Edwin

The first constitution of the ‘Ocean State’ became effective in May 1843. Before that, the Rhode Island territory was governed by the 1663 Royal Charter, a document that provided royal recognition to the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and was approved by England’s King Charles II in July 1663. The current constitution was … Read More

Did you know that you can be fined a whopping $750 for forgetting to close a gate after crossing a road or a river within the state of Wyoming? It’s also illegal for junk dealers to make transactions with intoxicated individuals. These are just a few of the wacky laws within the ‘Cowboy’ State’s Constitution. … Read More

The Constitution of the ‘Badger State’ was written at a constitutional convention held in Madison in December 1847 and approved by the citizens of Wisconsin Territory in a referendum held in March 1848.  Over the past 173 years of the document’s existence, a lot of very important statutes have been added, amended, or revised, including … Read More

It’s illegal to own a black or red flag in West Virginia. Also, you may be arrested for taunting someone who doesn’t want to participate in a duel. These are just a few of the crazy laws in the ‘Mountain State’. Some of these ordinances have stood the test of time and law enforcement officials … Read More

Your local librarian in the Mormon State yields more power than he/she lets on. Librarians have the legal right to detain you, on or off the premises of a library, if they suspect you of stealing a book. Also, if you plan on holding an auction within Salt Lake County, you must avoid hiring trombone … Read More

Did you know that it’s illegal to kill a sasquatch in Skamania County? Also, all candidates running for public office in the state of Washington are not allowed, by law, to purchase alcohol for anyone other than their family members while polls are open. These are just some of the many weird laws in the … Read More

The ‘Lone Star State’ is no stranger to peculiar laws. For instance, there is a law involving the historic Alamo Mission Church in San Antonio that was enacted as a result of the actions of the famed rockstar, Ozzy Osbourne. The Alamo plays a significant part in Texas history; it is at this site in … Read More

The Constitution of the ‘Green Mountain State’ was adopted in 1793 following the state’s admission to the Union in 1791 and is largely based upon the 1777 Constitution of the Vermont Republic which was drafted at Windsor at the Old Constitution House and amended in 1786. It is the shortest constitution in the US with … Read More

South Dakota has some pretty weird laws in its state and county Constitutions. For instance, you can’t air a movie that shows police officers being beaten or treated offensively and you cannot convince a pacifist to renounce his beliefs by threatening to arm-wrestle him. Most laws like these are old and obscure and police officers … Read More

The first Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia was enacted in 1776 at the same time as the Declaration of Independence by the first 13 states of the United States of America. There have been six major subsequent revisions of the constitution ( the 1830, 1851, 1864, 1870, 1902, and 1971 amendments).   Through the years, … Read More