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Having a law named after you is a rare honor, whether you’ve personally crafted the legislation or your experiences led to its creation to prevent others from facing similar hardships. It’s a testament to significant impact or sacrifice. Below, we delve into several laws that carry the names of the individuals who inspired them and the stories behind their titles.
1. The Hiss Act
Alger Hiss faced significant challenges during the late 1940s and 1950s. A respected civil servant and lawyer, Hiss held prominent roles in the United Nations and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. However, his reputation came under fire when Whittaker Chambers, a former associate, accused him of Communist ties. Initially, the allegations were ideological, but they escalated to claims of Soviet espionage. Despite lingering doubts about his guilt, Hiss was imprisoned, leaving a controversial legacy tied to his name.
In 1954, Congress further compounded Hiss's troubles by enacting the Hiss Act, which denied him his government pension. However, in 1972, Hiss achieved a partial victory when a federal court declared the Hiss Act unconstitutional. The court ordered the government to pay Hiss his pension—$61 per month—retroactively starting from 1966.
2. The Mann Act
Enacted in 1910, this law was initially called the White Slave Traffic Act and aimed to combat forced prostitution by criminalizing the transportation of women across state lines for "immoral purposes." Named after its sponsor, Republican Congressman James R. Mann, the law remains in effect today. Despite its obscurity, it has ensnared several high-profile figures, including Frank Lloyd Wright, Charlie Chaplin, Chuck Berry (who served 20 months in prison for violating it), and boxing legend Jack Johnson.
3. Sonny Bono right Term Extension Act
Passed in 1998, this legislation extended copyright protections by 20 years. Spearheaded by Disney, which sought to protect its early Mickey Mouse cartoons from entering the public domain, the law is named after the late Representative Sonny Bono. As a former entertainer, copyright protection was a key focus of Bono's legislative efforts during his time in Congress.
4. Kristen's Law
In 1997, 18-year-old Kristen Modafferi from Charlotte vanished, but because she was legally an adult, her family couldn’t access national kidnapping resources to aid in the search. Kristen’s Act, signed into law in 2000, established the National Center for Missing Adults to address such cases.
5. Buster's Law
It takes a heartbreaking event for a cat to inspire legislation. In 1997, Chester Williamson, a young troublemaker from Schenectady, NY, soaked a cat named Buster in kerosene and set him on fire. The incident sparked widespread outrage, leading New York lawmakers to pass Buster’s Law, which elevated animal cruelty to a felony in the state.
6. Donda West Law
In October, California enacted the Donda West Bill, mandating that patients undergo a health evaluation and obtain written approval before any plastic surgery procedure. The law honors the late mother of rapper Kanye West, Donda West, who passed away following a cosmetic surgery in 2007.
7. Tokyo Rose Statutes
These regulations prohibit foreign entities from owning more than 25 percent of any U.S. broadcasting company. The statutes derive their name from the notorious World War II broadcasters who spread anti-American propaganda from Japan.
8. Ryan White CARE Act
Enacted in 1990, this legislation revolutionized the quality and accessibility of care for HIV and AIDS patients. Named after Ryan White, a well-known AIDS patient, the act created a "payer of last resort" system to assist uninsured patients or those who had depleted their financial resources. President Obama extended the act for another four years in October.
9. Lindbergh Law
Enacted in 1932 following the notorious Lindbergh kidnapping, this law classifies the interstate transportation of a kidnapping victim as a federal offense, punishable by life imprisonment. By making it a federal crime, the legislation empowered agencies like the FBI to leverage their resources and expertise in kidnapping investigations.
10. Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act
Named after James Brady, the White House Press Secretary who was shot and permanently injured during the 1981 assassination attempt on President Reagan, this 1994 law introduced mandatory waiting periods for handgun purchases and required federal background checks for all gun buyers.
11. Comstock Act
Anthony Comstock likely wasn’t the life of any party. As a 19th-century moral reformer and leader of the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice, he reportedly boasted about driving numerous "libertines" to suicide by harshly targeting their vices. In 1873, he authored a law criminalizing the mailing of "obscene, lewd, or lascivious" materials, successfully persuading Congress to pass it.
The law’s restrictions were exceptionally broad, even by the standards of 19th-century reform movements. It prohibited not only mailing information about contraception but also outlawed contraceptives themselves—a provision that remained until a 1936 Supreme Court decision. Additionally, the law banned any mail-based discussion of abortion, even for educational purposes. Some remnants of the Comstock Act persisted until the 1990s before being removed from state and federal legislation.
