Fish Waved in Parliament
The parliament was Italy's, and the fish was reportedly a sea bass: If you want to know why he was waving it, here's the story, but I really think this is one where the waving of the fish (which…
Legislatures at Work
That’s an Omnibus Act All Right
When I was researching South Carolina law for purposes of these posts about the video-rental case, I came across this act and thought, you know, the title of that thing could use a little editing: AN ACT TO AMEND THE CODE…
Rubber-Duck-Race Bill Expected to Pass in Wisconsin
Well, thanks to the Wisconsin Department of Justice's decision last year to crack down on rubber-duck racing in the village of Mishicot, having concluded said event amounted to illegal gambling, the Wisconsin legislature has had to intervene. The state constitution prohibits…
New Bill Would Make It a Crime to Punch Someone in the Head
New York Assemblyman Jim Tedisco has followed through on his promise to introduce legislation aimed at stopping the "Knockout Game," said to be a fad in which young hoodlums pick out victims at random and try to knock them out…
Flying Kick Delivered During Debate in Turkish Parliament
This is by no means as epic as some of the legislative brawls we've considered before, but it does involve one flying kick and at least three flying iPads (or one that flew three times, it's hard to tell). Also lots of…
Senate Votes to Limit the Filibuster
In a move that there is absolutely no chance they will ever regret making, Senate Democrats today managed to push through a rule change that now makes it impossible to filibuster cabinet and judicial nominations (except for seats on the…
Bill Would Protect Students’ Right to Carry Pastry Guns (Updated)
Seems like there should be some bipartisan support for this one, but it doesn't seem to be moving forward. In July, U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Tex.) introduced a bill that would cut off federal funds to any school that punishes…
North Carolina Considers Abortion/Motorcycle Safety Bill
Hey, there's been an amendment to North Carolina Senate Bill 353 on motorcycle safety. See if you can tell what's changed. Hint: the bill was originally entitled: AN ACT TO INCREASE PENALTIES FOR UNSAFE MOVEMENTS BY DRIVERS THAT THREATEN THE…
D.C. City Council Takes Time Out to Honor Spiderman
This report began: "The D.C. Council has a full plate for its last legislative session before a two-month summer recess," but since this is the picture they ran with the report— —I'm not sure the plate was really all that full. The guy…
New York Considering Bowling-Shoe Warnings
You know those shoes they make you rent when you go bowling? The special shoes that are so ugly that people won’t steal them and so slippery that they won’t hamper your bowling? But are also so slippery that they…