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Repeal the ridiculous. Retire the obsolete. Abrogate the absurd.
America keeps writing laws. It rarely keeps score of what should be erased.
Actual definition
Abrogate: to formally annul or repeal a law through legislation, constitutional authority, or custom.
Cornell Wex definitionAbrogate.org is a public leaderboard for the laws America should get rid of first. Vote for the most absurd state or federal law still on the books, push it up the list, and help create a repeal-first culture.
The core argument
We need to get rid of more laws than we create.
Every year legislatures add new sections, exceptions, rules, boards, crimes, fines, forms, definitions, and mandates. Some are necessary. Many become outdated. Too few are cleaned out. Abrogate.org turns repeal into a scoreboard people can actually understand.
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Seeded with 51 starter laws. Edit the list in WordPress under Absurd Laws.
13,238
starter votes
#1
The code protects “Woodsy Owl” but no national repeal scoreboard exists
America can track mascots in criminal law, but there is no simple public scoreboard showing how many obsolete laws are repealed each year.
Abrogate plan: Create a repeal scorecard and require every new law to identify at least one obsolete law for repeal review.
18 U.S.C. § 711a + legislative tracking gap Source
Absurdity 100/100
778
votes
#2
Seducing an unmarried woman as a felony
An old statute makes it a felony for a man to seduce and debauch an unmarried woman.
Abrogate plan: Repeal sex-specific Victorian morality language and rely on modern consent/fraud laws.
MCL § 750.532 Source
Absurdity 99/100
645
votes
#3
Adultery is a felony
Michigan’s penal code still describes adultery as a felony, despite modern privacy expectations and rare enforcement.
Abrogate plan: Repeal consensual-adult morality crime sections.
MCL § 750.30 Source
Absurdity 97/100
601
votes
#4
Seduction under promise of marriage
A male over 16 who, by deception and promise of marriage, seduces an unmarried woman is guilty of a misdemeanor.
Abrogate plan: Use modern consent and fraud concepts; repeal sex-specific archaic morality language.
S.C. Code § 16-15-50 Source
Absurdity 97/100
566
votes
#5
International Communist conspiracy declaration
The statute declares the existence of an international Communist conspiracy as a legislative fact.
Abrogate plan: Repeal ideological findings that function as Cold War residue rather than enforceable law.
21 Okla. Stat. § 1266.1 Source
Absurdity 96/100
526
votes
#6
Blasphemy as a jail offense
The statute punishes willful blasphemy with possible jail time, a fine, and being bound to good behavior.
Abrogate plan: Repeal as unconstitutional deadwood inconsistent with modern free-speech doctrine.
Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 272, § 36 Source
Absurdity 98/100
508
votes
#7
Adultery: $10 fine
Maryland law says a person may not commit adultery; conviction is a misdemeanor with a $10 fine.
Abrogate plan: Repeal consensual-adult morality crime sections.
Md. Code, Criminal Law § 10-501 Source
Absurdity 94/100
487
votes
#8
Margarine as a substitute for table butter
Wisconsin prohibits serving colored oleomargarine or margarine at a public eating place as a substitute for table butter unless the customer orders it.
Abrogate plan: Repeal dairy-war relics and rely on normal menu disclosure.
Wis. Stat. § 97.18(4) Source
Absurdity 93/100
462
votes
#9
Fortune telling as a crime
Pretending for gain to tell fortunes or predict future events can be a misdemeanor of the third degree.
Abrogate plan: Use ordinary fraud statutes for actual fraud; remove fortune-telling as a named crime.
18 Pa.C.S. § 7104 Source
Absurdity 95/100
421
votes
#10
Sunday labor prohibited
New York’s Sabbath article still says all labor on Sunday is prohibited except works of necessity and charity.
Abrogate plan: Repeal unused blue-law language and keep modern labor protections separate.
N.Y. General Business Law § 5 Source
Absurdity 87/100
412
votes
#11
No collecting seaweed at night
Taking seaweed or rockweed from below the high-water mark between evening daylight and morning daylight is a violation.
Abrogate plan: Turn this into a modern coastal resource rule, or repeal if obsolete.
N.H. Rev. Stat. § 207:48 Source
Absurdity 92/100
379
votes
#12
Cursing and swearing by God
The penal code still contains a cursing-and-swearing offense tied to profane use of religious names.
Abrogate plan: Repeal religious profanity as a criminal category.
MCL § 750.103 Source
Absurdity 91/100
354
votes
#13
Bear wrestling
Missouri specifically prohibits wrestling bears, training bears to wrestle, promoting bear wrestling, or owning a wrestling bear.
Abrogate plan: Fold into animal-cruelty law and delete spectacle-specific phrasing.
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 578.176 Source
Absurdity 84/100
341
votes
#14
Dead frog-jumping contest frogs may not be eaten
A frog used in a frog-jumping contest that dies must be destroyed as soon as possible and cannot be eaten or otherwise used.
Abrogate plan: Replace with a general humane-treatment rule for contest animals.
Cal. Fish & Game Code § 6883 Source
Absurdity 88/100
316
votes
#15
Bear wrestling and horse tripping
Oklahoma law directly bans bear-wrestling exhibitions and horse-tripping events.
Abrogate plan: Preserve animal-cruelty protections; rewrite without carnival-era specificity.
21 Okla. Stat. § 1700 Source
Absurdity 82/100
301
votes
#16
Handling reptiles at religious services
Displaying, handling, or using any reptile in connection with a religious service or gathering carries a fine.
Abrogate plan: Replace with neutral animal-welfare and public-safety provisions.
Ky. Rev. Stat. § 437.060 Source
Absurdity 89/100
287
votes
#17
Sunday trades, manufacturers, and mechanical employments prohibited
The code separately targets trades, manufactures, agricultural, and mechanical employments on the first day of the week.
Abrogate plan: Repeal duplicative blue-law language.
N.Y. General Business Law § 8 Source
Absurdity 82/100
276
votes
#18
No Star-Spangled Banner dance music
The law fines certain public performances of the national anthem as dance music, medleys, exit marches, or embellished versions.
Abrogate plan: Move patriotic etiquette to civic guidance, not criminal fines.
Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 264, § 9 Source
Absurdity 86/100
276
votes
#19
Misuse of Woodsy Owl or the slogan “Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute”
Federal criminal law protects Woodsy Owl and the anti-pollution slogan from unauthorized use.
Abrogate plan: Move mascot and slogan protection to trademark/licensing rules.
18 U.S.C. § 711a Source
Absurdity 77/100
263
votes
#20
Bear wrestling penalty
Louisiana defines and penalizes the crime of bear wrestling.
Abrogate plan: Consolidate into general animal fighting and cruelty laws.
La. Rev. Stat. § 14:102.10 Source
Absurdity 80/100
256
votes
#21
Flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery
The U.S. Flag Code states the flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery.
Abrogate plan: Keep as etiquette guidance, not a code section voters confuse for enforceable law.
4 U.S.C. § 8(d) Source
Absurdity 71/100
251
votes
#22
No dyed baby chicks, ducklings, or rabbits
New York prohibits selling, offering, bartering, or displaying artificially colored baby chicks, ducklings, other fowl, or baby rabbits.
Abrogate plan: If retained, modernize under animal-welfare labeling rather than odd novelty bans.
N.Y. Agriculture & Markets Law § 354 Source
Absurdity 75/100
243
votes
#23
Driving while blindfolded
Alabama traffic law expressly says a person shall not drive a vehicle while loaded or situated so the driver’s view is obstructed, and strange-law lists often cite it as the blindfolded-driving law.
Abrogate plan: Replace the novelty language with a general distracted/obstructed driving rule.
Ala. Code § 32-5A-53 Source
Absurdity 91/100
232
votes
#24
Unauthorized use of “Johnny Horizon” symbol
A federal criminal statute protects the old Johnny Horizon environmental symbol from unauthorized use.
Abrogate plan: Review whether obscure federal mascot protections still need criminal penalties.
18 U.S.C. § 714 Source
Absurdity 81/100
230
votes
#25
No serving civil process on Sunday
Service or execution of civil legal process on the first day of the week is prohibited, except in criminal proceedings.
Abrogate plan: Let courts regulate service deadlines without Sabbath-era bans.
N.Y. General Business Law § 11 Source
Absurdity 79/100
224
votes
#26
Misuse of Smokey Bear
Federal law specifically bars unauthorized use of Smokey Bear’s name or character in certain ways.
Abrogate plan: Move mascot protection to trademark and agency licensing rules.
18 U.S.C. § 711 Source
Absurdity 73/100
219
votes
#27
Bingo sessions limited to five hours
Charitable bingo sessions are limited to two per week, 48 hours apart, and no more than five hours each.
Abrogate plan: Replace micromanagement with transparent charitable-gaming reporting rules.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-309.8 Source
Absurdity 74/100
208
votes
#28
No Sunday car sales
Michigan has long restricted Sunday sales of motor vehicles, a classic blue-law holdover.
Abrogate plan: Let dealerships choose operating hours; keep consumer-protection rules separate.
MCL § 435.251 Source
Absurdity 72/100
204
votes
#29
The official pronunciation of Arkansas
State law declares the final “s” silent and tells people exactly how Arkansas should be pronounced.
Abrogate plan: Move this to a history note, not a code section.
Ark. Code § 1-4-105 Source
Absurdity 76/100
199
votes
#30
Public sports and exercises on Sunday
The same Sabbath article includes a provision for public sports and exercises on Sunday.
Abrogate plan: Repeal outdated blue-law sections; let parks, leagues, and municipalities regulate events normally.
N.Y. General Business Law § 7 Source
Absurdity 76/100
198
votes
#31
Offensive drunkenness on a train
A 1913 law bars being on or remaining upon a railway train or interurban car while in an offensive state of intoxication.
Abrogate plan: Fold into modern disorderly-conduct and transit-safety laws.
MCL § 436.201 Source
Absurdity 78/100
187
votes
#32
Public traffic on Sunday
New York’s Sabbath article includes a public-traffic-on-Sunday provision among a cluster of blue-law sections.
Abrogate plan: Repeal obsolete Sabbath traffic language unless a modern safety rule remains necessary.
N.Y. General Business Law § 9 Source
Absurdity 73/100
177
votes
#33
Minimum six baby chicks or rabbits
The same statute bans giving away or selling baby chicks, ducklings, fowl, or baby rabbits under two months old in quantities less than six.
Abrogate plan: Keep animal-care standards; reassess arbitrary quantity rules.
N.Y. Agriculture & Markets Law § 354(3) Source
Absurdity 67/100
161
votes
#34
Abusive language likely to provoke breach of peace
Using abusive language concerning another person or their relations can be a misdemeanor if reasonably calculated to provoke a breach of peace.
Abrogate plan: Narrow speech crimes to true threats, harassment, and direct incitement.
Va. Code § 18.2-416 Source
Absurdity 70/100
155
votes
#35
False weather reports
Federal law penalizes knowingly issuing or publishing counterfeit weather forecasts or warnings falsely representing that they came from the Weather Bureau or another government service.
Abrogate plan: Update wording for modern emergency alerts, apps, and digital impersonation.
18 U.S.C. § 2074 Source
Absurdity 64/100
149
votes
#36
False weather reports
Federal law penalizes knowingly issuing or publishing counterfeit weather forecasts or warnings falsely representing that they came from the Weather Bureau or another government service.
Abrogate plan: Update wording for modern emergency alerts, apps, and digital impersonation.
18 U.S.C. § 2074 Source
Absurdity 64/100
149
votes
#37
Pretending to be a minister, priest, rabbi, or clergy member
An old morality-style offense makes false personation of clergy a misdemeanor, even before any separate fraud or theft occurs.
Abrogate plan: Keep fraud laws; repeal status-based clergy impersonation as a standalone offense.
Ala. Code § 13A-14-4 Source
Absurdity 83/100
144
votes
#38
Cannibalism has its own statute
Idaho specifically defines cannibalism as willfully ingesting the flesh or blood of a human being, with a narrow survival defense.
Abrogate plan: Review whether a specific standalone offense adds anything beyond homicide, abuse of corpse, and assault laws.
Idaho Code § 18-5003 Source
Absurdity 62/100
142
votes
#39
No public drinking on trains or interurban cars
The companion train law separately bans public drinking of intoxicating liquor on railway trains, coaches, or interurban cars.
Abrogate plan: Replace with modern transit operator rules instead of a standalone relic.
MCL § 436.202 Source
Absurdity 65/100
133
votes
#40
Misuse of the Swiss Confederation coat of arms
Federal law criminalizes certain commercial use of the Swiss coat of arms or similar insignia.
Abrogate plan: Evaluate whether trademark, customs, or fraud law already covers the risk.
18 U.S.C. § 708 Source
Absurdity 69/100
132
votes
#41
Standing near a highway to solicit vehicle-watching work
A person may not stand on or near a highway to solicit another person to watch or guard a parked vehicle.
Abrogate plan: Let general pedestrian-safety and solicitation laws handle real hazards.
Md. Transportation § 21-507 Source
Absurdity 64/100
119
votes
#42
Unauthorized use of 4-H Club emblems
Federal law criminalizes unauthorized manufacture, sale, or use of 4-H Club badges, medals, emblems, and insignia.
Abrogate plan: Move youth-program marks to civil trademark/licensing enforcement.
18 U.S.C. § 707 Source
Absurdity 66/100
118
votes
#43
No throwing missiles in state forests
Maryland forest regulations prohibit throwing missiles to the annoyance of the public, alongside disorderly conduct rules.
Abrogate plan: Rewrite in plain modern language: no throwing objects at people, wildlife, or property.
COMAR 08.07.01.20 Source
Absurdity 63/100
112
votes
#44
No altered milk cans
New York still has detailed milk-can rules that read like leftovers from a very different dairy economy.
Abrogate plan: Modernize or repeal obsolete physical-container provisions.
N.Y. Agriculture & Markets Law, milk can provisions Source
Absurdity 61/100
109
votes
#45
Dry Pea and Lentil Council citizenship requirement
Council members for the dry pea and lentil council must be U.S. citizens and participating producers in their district.
Abrogate plan: Review whether commodity boards need citizenship qualifications at all.
N.D. Cent. Code § 4.1-07-03 Source
Absurdity 60/100
97
votes
#46
Big-cat selfies need a barrier
New York restricts direct contact with big cats, a law popularly summarized as a ban on tiger selfies without a barrier.
Abrogate plan: Keep animal-safety rules but make the law readable for ordinary visitors and facilities.
N.Y. Environmental Conservation Law § 11-0535 Source
Absurdity 58/100
91
votes
#47
Bingo prize caps by game
Minnesota law caps prize values for bingo games with detailed exceptions for cover-all and cover-none games.
Abrogate plan: Simplify charitable-gaming limits so ordinary people can understand them.
Minn. Stat. § 349.211 Source
Absurdity 58/100
88
votes
#48
No soliciting rides, employment, or business from a roadway
Maryland bars standing in a roadway to solicit a ride, employment, or business from vehicle occupants.
Abrogate plan: Use general roadway safety rules and avoid broad bans on speech-adjacent activity.
Md. Transportation § 21-507(a) Source
Absurdity 59/100
83
votes
#49
Misuse of the Red Cross emblem
Federal law gives special criminal protection to the Red Cross emblem, name, and related insignia.
Abrogate plan: Keep humanitarian emblem protection but clarify scope for modern brand and digital use.
18 U.S.C. § 706 Source
Absurdity 55/100
81
votes
#50
No docking horse tails
New York prohibits cutting or operating on a horse’s tail in specified ways, a relic of older carriage and horse-trade practices.
Abrogate plan: Review alongside modern animal cruelty and veterinary practice rules.
N.Y. Agriculture & Markets Law § 368 Source
Absurdity 52/100
74
votes
#51
Use of “Swiss” on gold or silver articles
Federal law regulates the use of “Swiss” or similar words on gold or silver articles in contexts that suggest Swiss origin.
Abrogate plan: Fold into general origin-labeling and consumer deception laws.
15 U.S.C. § 297 Source
Absurdity 57/100
74
votes
Method
The launch thesis is sourced, but the list should be constantly challenged.
The site uses a simple ranking: visitor votes first, absurdity score second, source quality always visible. Some starter entries are marked Verified source; others are marked for further review so you can keep the database honest as it grows.
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Add it in the WordPress admin under Absurd Laws → Add New. Include citation, source URL, jurisdiction, status, and a proposed fix.