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.—
Olafimihan Oshin
Olafimihan OshinExamples of trigger law in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Following the Supreme Court decision, Missouri enacted a trigger law banning most abortions in the state.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 15 May 2025
Analysis by the Urban Institute found that number of uninsured people would rise by 10.8 million if all states with trigger laws abandon the expansion in the face of funding cuts.
—Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 May 2025
Twelve states have trigger laws in place that would automatically end expansion or require changes if the federal match rate drops.
—Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 May 2025
But 12 states have trigger laws in place that would automatically end the Medicaid expansion, or that would require significant changes to the program should there be reductions to the amount of money the federal government provides.
—Alana Semuels, Time, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for trigger law
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Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 15 May 2025
Analysis by the Urban Institute found that number of uninsured people would rise by 10.8 million if all states with trigger laws abandon the expansion in the face of funding cuts.
—Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 May 2025
Twelve states have trigger laws in place that would automatically end expansion or require changes if the federal match rate drops.
—Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 May 2025
But 12 states have trigger laws in place that would automatically end the Medicaid expansion, or that would require significant changes to the program should there be reductions to the amount of money the federal government provides.
—Alana Semuels, Time, 7 May 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 1 Jun. 2025.
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