# Minnesota's New DUI Law Legality/Grandfather Clause-ish Type Stuff
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minnesotas-new-dui-law-legality-grandfather-clause-ish-type-stuff/122824
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 7, 2002, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minnesotas-new-dui-law-legality-grandfather-clause-ish-type-stuff/122824 "2002-08-07T19:10:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@jmortenson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jmortenson)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2002, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minnesotas-new-dui-law-legality-grandfather-clause-ish-type-stuff/122824/1 "2002-08-07T19:10:54Z")
The obvious notation I have to put in here is that I believe that people that drive under the influence are just really naughty people that have to be punished. In these days of comfortable shoes, I don’t understand why people do it over and over again (much less once). (And I’ve never gotten a Dui/dwi or parking ticket)
Nevertheless, Minnesota’s new law regarding drunk driving began on August 1st. It states that after one’s third offense it is considered a felony (from a misdemeanor/gross misdemeanor). The thing that gets me is that is inclusive of all prior offenses. So if I were to go out and booze it up and drive I’d have to get caught 3 times to get a felony. Whereas if a person who already had 5 DUIs for instance got caught after August 1st, it would be an automatic felony.
To make a long post short, aren’t people “grandfathered in” by law? Or can laws include previous convictions like that?
Here’s a link about the new law in the local paper:
[http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/3145907.html](http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/3145907.html)
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### Author:  [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2002, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minnesotas-new-dui-law-legality-grandfather-clause-ish-type-stuff/122824/2 "2002-08-07T19:33:03Z")
Why would it be fair for somebody to get 8 DUI’s before he spends a significant time in jail when somebody else only gets 3 DUI’s before they are a felon? Just because the law has changed doesn’t mean that the crime is now more dangerous than it was in the past, the person with 5 previous DUIs should hopefully know that.
As an aside, I remember sitting in a resaurant in Tonka Bay and hearing some guy (20 something) fondly (?) recalling his first DUI with some friends. That ain’t right.