trigger law
noun
variants
or less commonly trigger ban
plural trigger laws also trigger bans
: a currently unenforceable law that upon the occurrence of an event (such as a court decision) becomes enforceable
A Louisiana judge blocked enforcement on Monday of statewide abortion ban designed to automatically go into effect when Roe [v. Wade] fell. Two abortion rights groups on Monday filed a challenge to Louisiana's trigger law, which went into effect following the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that struck down the federal right to abortion.—
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Olafimihan OshinExamples of trigger law in a Sentence
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Some of these same states have trigger laws that would go off if Medicaid funding from the federal government went below a certain amount, meaning funding would entirely collapse in those locations.
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
But at least 10 states have trigger laws, Brayboy said, which would eliminate the extended postpartum care.
—Cheyanne M. Daniels, The Hill, 20 Apr. 2025
Missouri was the first state to use a trigger law to ban all non-medically necessary abortions.
—Yasmine Salam, NBC News, 1 Nov. 2024
Significant cuts could prove disastrous, particularly for governments that have trigger laws that could cause state Medicaid funding to drop off partially or entirely if Federal support drops below a certain level.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trigger law
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Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
But at least 10 states have trigger laws, Brayboy said, which would eliminate the extended postpartum care.
—Cheyanne M. Daniels, The Hill, 20 Apr. 2025
Missouri was the first state to use a trigger law to ban all non-medically necessary abortions.
—Yasmine Salam, NBC News, 1 Nov. 2024
Significant cuts could prove disastrous, particularly for governments that have trigger laws that could cause state Medicaid funding to drop off partially or entirely if Federal support drops below a certain level.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trigger law
Cite this Entry
“Trigger law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trigger%20law. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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