Obscure laws

[Timbeck2]

Some are funny such as: It is illegal to attend a church in disguise in Texas. But another one I don't get. "Pictures of dead ex-presidents may not be used to sell alcohol in Michigan."

Does that mean you can't pay cash for alcohol in Michigan?

Did you know it was illegal to sell chickens at night without a permit in Idaho?

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

Ok, this isn't exactly in line with the topic, but early in my career doing legal research in the books (as opposed to online, as it is mostly done now), I came across this little gem of an opinion.

Murray v. State :: 1957 :: Supreme Court of Indiana Decisions :: Indiana Case Law :: Indiana Law :: US Law :: Justia

Let's just say, I'll give the defense counsel major points for creativity.

Sort of an interesting case. The law was vaguely written because people were disgusted and afraid to spell things out explicitly. As a general principle, of course, the defendant was correct. Vague laws are a bad idea and should not be enforceable, since the average citizen needs to be be able to figure out how to comply with the law.