How often do laws change?
General question for family/criminal, Ect.
Do they change constantly? Depending on the severity of the matter? Or do they just change because they need a change?
4 attorney answers
Laws change when the legislature votes and the governor agrees. Could be anywhere between 1 day and never.
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Laws change for all sorts of reasons and during all sorts of time periods. They can change immediately or they can change in years or decades. They can change because opinions have changed about what should be legal or illegal, or because the law has caused an issue, or just because society has changed. Sometimes they are changed simply because they need to change. Or they might change because they were ruled unconstitutional so a new law is passed.
There isn't really a straight forward answer to your question.
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Legislators will usually enact new laws to respond to changes in society, such as banning texting and use of a non-hands free cell phone while driving. However new laws must be signed by the governor or the president to take effect. There are literally thousands of laws on the books that are no longer in sync with society and should be rescinded, but congress and state legislators spend very little of their time getting rid of irrelevant laws and much more time enacting new ones.
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