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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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
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
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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
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
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 16 Jul. 2025.
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