In Louisiana, the law has always marched to the beat of its own brass band. But some of the rules still on the books may have you doing a double take, or double-checking your sandwich count at a funeral.
Did you know it’s technically illegal to have a goatee without a license or that mourners are limited to three sandwiches at a repass in the state of Louisiana? And if you were thinking about leashing your pet alligator to a fire hydrant in Orleans Parish...think again. That’s banned, too.
But what sounds like comedy, according to attorney Gregory Lewis Jr., actually has roots in conflict.
“Every law starts with some kind of issue,” Lewis explains. “And there was enough of a fuss over it for someone to write legislation.”
Lewis says getting a law on the books takes not only awareness of constituents’ needs, but also the political skill to convince colleagues to back the bill. But removing a law? That’s often a far tougher task because it literally takes an act of Congress.
“That’s why you see far more laws added than removed,” he says. “Once a law is in place, unless it causes harm or confusion, it usually just stays.”
In some cases, that’s intentional. Lewis notes that even the strangest-sounding laws can be used to bolster charges in court, especially at the federal level.
And while most of these outdated statutes are rarely enforced, they can still hold weight when prosecutors want to build a case.
“If it was needed once, it could be needed again,” Lewis says . “And we wouldn’t want someone getting away with four sandwiches after a funeral.”
For now, these quirky codes remain tucked between serious statutes in Louisiana’s legal system, and proof that in the Pelican State, even the law has personality.