You hear about them all the time — weird, outdated legal statutes that seem to lack any sense of legislative intent and are generally forgotten until mentioned in an article like this. However, there are some strange legal statutes that are still enforced, if you can believe it! Here are a few of the oddball laws people still have to follow that our legislative history research dug up.
In Woburn, Massachusetts, It’s Illegal to Stand With an Alcoholic Beverage.
Yep. You read that right. The Massachusetts city of Woburn won’t let adults stand with their drinks. If you want to consume alcohol, you have to sit. There are exemptions, though. The legal statute allows waiters to stand while holding alcohol (because otherwise how would they be able to serve it at a restaurant?).
No Lewd Living in North Carolina.
In the great, southern state of North Carolina, a man and a woman who are living in such a way that can be deemed as “lewd” can get fined $1,000. Of course, the term “lewd” is awfully vague, so it may be best to try to keep things as private as possible while living down there.
Fried Chicken in Georgia Can Only Be Eaten With Hands.
It is a criminal act in Gainesville, Georgia to eat fried chicken with anything but your hands. That’s how serious they take their comfort food. In fact, an elderly woman was almost arrested back in 2009 for eating her fried chicken with a fork. (This, however, was just a prank, and she was immediately “pardoned.”)
And to think, these are just a few of the weird legal statutes that people still have to follow! If you were to do your own legislative research, you could probably find a bunch more. If you do uncover any weird legal statutes, share them in the comments! Good references here.
