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
Tennessee has a trigger law to permanently adopt daylight saving time if federal legislation is passed.
—Jordan Green, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 7 Mar. 2026
Jefferson Circuit Judge Mitch Perry ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in June 2022, issuing a temporary injunction to the trigger law and six-week ban.
—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 2 Sep. 2025
Further, Indiana has a trigger law that requires Medicaid expansion to automatically begin unwinding if federal funding for Medicaid expansion drops below 90%, which means services would be reduced, according to the release.
—Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 12 July 2025
If Trump cuts the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion, for example, Indiana has a trigger law that would automatically cut coverage for people enrolled in Indiana's Medicaid expansion program, which is about 30% of the state's Medicaid population.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for trigger law
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Jordan Green, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 7 Mar. 2026
Jefferson Circuit Judge Mitch Perry ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in June 2022, issuing a temporary injunction to the trigger law and six-week ban.
—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 2 Sep. 2025
Further, Indiana has a trigger law that requires Medicaid expansion to automatically begin unwinding if federal funding for Medicaid expansion drops below 90%, which means services would be reduced, according to the release.
—Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 12 July 2025
If Trump cuts the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion, for example, Indiana has a trigger law that would automatically cut coverage for people enrolled in Indiana's Medicaid expansion program, which is about 30% of the state's Medicaid population.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 2 July 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 12 Mar. 2026.
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