- Repeal
A repeal is the
removal orreversal of alaw . This is generally done when a law is no longer effective, or it is shown that a law is having far more negative consequences than were originally envisioned.Major repeals in history include:
*The repeal of theAct of Union 1800 , providing for the union betweenGreat Britain andIreland as theUnited Kingdom . The union was partially repealed in 1922, when under theAnglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, twenty-six of the thirty-two Irish Counties became theIrish Free State and ceased to be part of theUnited Kingdom .
*TheCorn Laws inEngland , repealed in 1846 after a passionate campaign.
*Repeal of Prohibition in theUnited States . Enacted by theEighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution , it proved to be so ineffective that it had to be repealed by the Twenty-first Amendment. This is the onlyconstitutional amendment to be repealed in the U.S., and also the only time the Constitution was used to setsocial policy .
*The repeal of the acts that caused taxes during the colonial times of the US.
*ThePoor Law s in England in 1948.
*The massive Statutory Law Revision Act of 2007 in theRepublic of Ireland , through which 3,225 Acts were repealed, dating back over eight centuries to 1171 and the earliest laws enacted byEngland when it began its invasion ofIreland . The statutes repealed include a number of Acts of significant historical interest, including an Act of 1542 providing that the Kings of England shall be Kings of Ireland. This Act is the largest single repealing statute in the history of Ireland.If a campaign for the repeal of a particular law gains particular moment, an advocate of the repeal might become known as a "repealer". This happened in 19th century Britain to a group in favour of the re-separation of Ireland from the United Kingdom
Many repeals are the result of changes in
society , such as the oldJim Crow law s orblue law s. Other repeals are for more things, such as century-old laws againstdancing orcabaret s. Some repeals are of extremely old and outdated laws that now seembizarre , such as one from the 19th century againstbathing .The motion to
rescind, repeal, or annul is used inparliamentary procedure to cancel or countermand an action or order previously adopted by the assembly.See also
*
Abrogation
*Derogation
*Desuetude
*Recall election
*
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