{"id":3071,"date":"2026-04-09T02:58:38","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T02:58:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mewetoo.com\/blog\/?p=3071"},"modified":"2026-04-09T04:00:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T04:00:18","slug":"the-law-is-a-rough-draft-10-times-common-sense-had-to-sue-the-government","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mewetoo.com\/blog\/3071\/the-law-is-a-rough-draft-10-times-common-sense-had-to-sue-the-government\/","title":{"rendered":"The Law is a Rough Draft: 10 Times Common Sense Had to Sue the Government"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The law is not a set of stone tablets. It is a messy, human document. Sometimes, it is written by people who weren\u2019t paying attention – or worse, people who were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We like to think the legal system is built on logic. But every so often, a case comes along that proves the \u201cjustice\u201d system is actually a series of glitches waiting for a brave person to hit the reset button.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are 10 times the law broke common sense – until someone decided to fix it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. The \u201cRape Alimony\u201d Law (California, 2012)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Crystal Harris was raped by her husband. He went to prison. Then a judge ordered Crystal to pay him $1,000 a month in alimony. The judge cited the law and said he was bound by it. He even reduced the amount from $3,000 because of the circumstances. Crystal didn\u2019t want a discount. She wanted justice. She marched to Sacramento, flipped the script, and helped pass AB 1522. Now, in California, survivors don\u2019t have to pay their rapist. Period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. The \u201cUgly Laws\u201d (Various Cities, 1974)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In many American cities, it was once illegal to appear \u201cunsightly\u201d in public. If you were disabled, \u201cmaimed,\u201d or \u201cdeformed,\u201d you could be fined for simply existing on a sidewalk. These laws lingered until the mid-1970s. Disability rights activists deliberately challenged them, and the last of these laws was repealed in Omaha in 1974.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. The \u201cBedroom Police\u201d (Texas, 2003)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Until 2003, Texas had a \u201cHomosexual Conduct\u201d law. Police could arrest people for private acts in their own homes. John Lawrence was arrested in his Houston apartment. He fought the charge all the way to the Supreme Court – and won. The government was finally told to stay out of the bedroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. The \u201cGay Panic\u201d Defense (California, 2014)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For decades, killers could seek lighter sentences by claiming they \u201cpanicked\u201d upon discovering a victim was LGBTQ+. It was a legal loophole that excused hate. California became the first state to ban this \u201cdefense\u201d in 2014. Michigan and Minnesota were two of the most recent additions to the list, passing their bans in 2024. In 21 states<\/strong> plus Washington D.C., your identity can no longer be used as a legal excuse for violence – but in 29 states<\/strong>, the loophole still exists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. The Felony of a Marriage License (Virginia, 1967)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mildred and Richard Loving were arrested in their sleep. Their crime? Being married – he was white, she was Black. Sixteen states considered this a felony. The Lovings spent nine years fighting for the right to live together. In 1967, the Supreme Court finally admitted the law was wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. The \u201cSpousal Rape\u201d Loophole (Nationwide, 1993)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For most of U.S. history, it was legally impossible to rape your spouse. Marriage was seen as \u201cpermanent consent.\u201d By 1993, every state had removed this exemption – but California didn\u2019t fully close certain sentencing loopholes until 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. The \u201cTampon Tax\u201d (Ongoing)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some groceries are necessities. Certain medications are necessities. But menstrual products? For decades, they were taxed as \u201cluxuries.\u201d 29 states and Washington D.C. have repealed this tax since 2016, finally acknowledging that biology isn\u2019t a luxury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. The \u201cAdultery Homicide\u201d (Texas, 1973)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Until 1973, Texas law said a husband was \u201cjustified\u201d in killing a man caught with his wife. A wife committing the same act? That was first-degree murder. The law finally caught up to the 20th century: \u201chonor killings\u201d are simply killings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. The \u201cWidow\u2019s Tax\u201d (Nationwide, 2020)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For years, military widows lost part of their benefits if they received other VA support – essentially penalizing them for receiving what was owed. After 18 years of lobbying, Congress finally ended this dollar-for-dollar reduction in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. \u201cKatie\u2019s Law\u201d (New Mexico, 2006)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Katie Sepich was murdered in 2003. Her killer was arrested for a different crime months later, but his DNA wasn\u2019t taken because he hadn\u2019t been convicted yet. He walked free for three more years. Her parents fought to change the law so DNA is now collected at arrest for violent felonies – a standard adopted by the federal government and 31 states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond “That’s Just the Law”<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The law isn\u2019t a fixed reality. It\u2019s a draft – constantly rewritten by the people willing to challenge it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every right on the books exists because someone refused to accept \u201cthat\u2019s just the law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crystal Harris was told exactly that.
She decided the law was wrong.
And she changed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Related Me We Too<\/a><\/em> polls:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ICE and CBP are not above the law.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No one is above the law.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve stopped using the Costco Kirkland baby wipes because of the class action lawsuit<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Horse drawn carriages should be outlawed everywhere<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Horse racing, dog racing, sheep racing (otherwise known as “mutton busting”) should be outlawed completely.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I completely and totally believe in the Law of Attraction, and it has changed my life.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Child labor laws hold kids back more than it helps them of these days. Honestly I think it just encourages illegal activity from minors because it’s hard for them to get a paying job legally.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think that the \u201cborn here to be President\u201d law is offensive to immigrants<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The country’s constitution is always for poor people . rich people behave asif they are above the law.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No one tells you the emotional downside of choosing a career in corporate law.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I feel like law school has made me a boring person.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My favorite TV show is Law & Order SVU<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The law is not a set of stone tablets. It is a messy, human document. Sometimes, it is written by people who weren\u2019t paying attention – or worse, people who were. We like to think the legal system is built … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[2038,2050,2049,2044,830,2041,2048,2045,2043,2035,2046,2037,2040,2051,2039,2042,2036,2047,1417],"class_list":["post-3071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-story","tag-ab-1522","tag-adultery-laws","tag-california-law","tag-civil-rights-history","tag-common-sense","tag-crystal-harris","tag-dna-collection","tag-judicial-reform","tag-katies-law","tag-law","tag-law-and-logic","tag-legal-loophole","tag-legal-reform","tag-military-widow-benefits","tag-social-justice","tag-spousal-rape","tag-tampon-tax","tag-texas-penal-code","tag-womens-rights"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mewetoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mewetoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mewetoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mewetoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mewetoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3071"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.mewetoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3071\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3300,"href":"https:\/\/www.mewetoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3071\/revisions\/3300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mewetoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mewetoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mewetoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}