Statute of limitations: Why obsolete laws still remain on the books today

Several Midwestern states held primary elections recently, reminding me once again of the importance of voting. No matter what level of government — county, state or federal — casting a ballot is one of the most direct ways we can help shape our communities.

It’s also a reminder that laws don’t just appear out of thin air. Somebody writes them, somebody debates them, lawmakers vote on them and eventually they’re signed into law.

What we don’t think about nearly as often is what happens after that. The truth is that a surprising number of laws never really go away.

Across these United States, there are still statutes and regulations on the books that made perfect sense a very long time ago, but have little practical purpose today.

Legislatures spend most of their time homed in on current issues, so outdated laws often remain in place because no one has gotten around to removing them.

Unless an old law creates a problem or ends up in court, it’s easy for it to sit quietly in the background for years. Some of those laws are quite interesting.

Several states still have anti-dueling provisions that date back to a time when settling disputes with pistols was a real possibility.

Laws governing telegraphs and railroad operations are still on the books in some states, even though those technologies are no longer in use.

There are also licensing and business regulations written for industries that have changed dramatically over the last century, while the laws themselves have never been cleaned up.

Government is typically better at creating laws than it is at cleaning out the old ones. If that sounds familiar, it’s because most of us can relate.

Almost everyone has a junk drawer stuffed with things we might need someday. I joke that I was raised by people who were raised by people who lived through the Depression, so I hang on to a lot of things that I might be able to repurpose someday.

I suppose it’s human nature to keep adding things while putting off the task of sorting through what no longer serves a purpose. Government isn’t all that different.

Laws are written to address the needs of a particular time. As society changes, technology advances and communities evolve, some of those laws naturally become outdated.

That doesn’t mean they were bad laws when they were passed. It just means the world has changed.

Maybe every legislative session should include a little housekeeping. Along with debating new ideas, lawmakers could periodically review existing statutes and get rid of those that have become obsolete, unenforceable or unnecessary.

But then again it wouldn’t make headlines or become the centerpiece of anyone’s campaign, so it might be a nonstarter for the political opportunists and showboaters in the legislature.

Good government isn’t always about passing more laws. Sometimes it’s about making sure the ones we already have are enforced and still make sense.